Too Much To Ask
by goddess-lady-serenity
Summary: Mamoru's acting strange and Usagi wants to get the bottom of it...... but will she like what she finds?
1. Part One

AN: Okay for some stupid reason, your not allowed to post author notes as an entry. So now I gotta go and re-upload ALL the first chapters to ALL my stories, just to tell you guys that that I don't own any of the sailormoon characters, or the SM seriers, which I'm sure all of you guys know.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's character's. I do, however, own the character's that I have created for additional, non- SM characters.

Usagi came into the arcade, threw her books on the table and slumped down beside Minako in their usual booth.

"Hello." Makoto said questioningly, "What's up with you?"

"He didn't call me last night." Usagi muttered.

"Who?" Rei asked.

"Mamoru, he didn't call." Usagi said as she continued to stare blankly at the red table in front of her.

"You can't expect him to be with you every waking moment and call you when he's not." Ami gently pointed out, without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

"I know, but I can expect that he'll call when he says he will. He promised he'd call and he didn't. Do you think he's breaking up with me?" Usagi's eyes widened, "Oh my god, what did I do wrong? I'm sure I can't fix it or change if I---"

"Usagi," Minako rushed in, "Calm down. I don't think he's breaking up with you. He's probably just got busy or something, otherwise he would have called you."

Usagi took that into consideration, "Maybe." Was all she said before Motoki greeted her with a smile.

"The usual today Usagi-chan?"

"Hai. Plus some fries, please." She said cheerfully, but still not taking her eyes of the top of the table.

"Okay, as you wish." He winked at her before he left only to return several minutes later with a strawberry shake and a basket of fries.

"Motoki-chan?" Usagi began in thought, looking up at him, "Have you noticed anything strange about Mamo-chan, lately?"

Motoki's brows met, "No, why do you ask?"

"He didn't call her last night," Rei filled in, "So now she thinks he's not acting the norm." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Motoki squeezed her shoulder gently, "I wouldn't worry about it Usa. He's probably just caught up in his studying. That's all."

After eating Usagi told her friends she had to go and headed towards Mamoru's apartment. She used the key that Mamoru had given her to let herself in. She stepped off the elevator and knocked on his door. She heard stumbling and shuffling inside before the door opened and Mamoru greeted her.

"Konnichi wa, Mamo-chan!" She said cheerfully and jumped into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you." Mamoru replied putting his own arms around her and lent forward for a kiss.

"Really?" Usagi said as she leaped down and closed the door behind her.

"Of course. You're always on my mind."

Usagi stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "And what were you thinking about?"

"How much I love you." He said as he moved a piece of hair out of her face.

Usagi smiled widely and pulled Mamoru down for another kiss, "I love you too."

Mamoru smiled back sweetly, looking deep into her eyes. God, she was beautiful. He started to image the things he would like to do to her, to do with her. Bringing them both pleasures beyond imagination. But not yet, he thought. She wasn't ready yet, he was sure.

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi began, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Mmmm?"

"How come you didn't call last night?"

Way to ruin the moment. He dropped his arms from around her and walked over to his couch, "Oh that. Sorry. I was up studying all day and I feel asleep. I was going to call you but when I woke up it was late." Usagi sat down beside him and looked at in disbelief. She squinted her eyes and moved her face close to his as if she were looking for something more in his eyes, "Ummm? Usako? What are you doing?"

"Huh? What?" Usagi pulled back and relaxed her eyes, "Oh nothing. I just got worried, is all. When you didn't call. I thought something may have happened."

Mamoru put an arm around her and pulled her close, "I'm sorry. If I made you worry. You know I didn't do it on purpose, right?"

"I know." She pouted.

"Hey look. I promise I'll call you whenever I say I will and even when I don't say that I will. I'll call just to say I love you or just to hear your voice. Like I usually do, okay?"

Usagi smiled, "Okay."

Mamoru smiled back, "So? What to do you want to do today?"

"Ummm. actually," Usagi said as she got up and began walking toward the door, "I kinda have to go. I promised my mom I'd go shopping with her today. Can I take a rain check?" She turned to face him at the door.

Mamoru smiled sweetly, "Of course," He kissed her lightly and held the door open for her. "I'll call you, okay?" He said before closing the door.

It was a lie. She knew it, she just hoped he didn't. She didn't have to go shopping; she didn't have to do anything that day. There was just something- weird going on. Some weird vibe Mamoru was giving off. She knew the man she loved and that was not him. He seemed hesitant toward her, distant. Like his mind was somewhere else. She sighed and hoped that it was just all in her head like her friends said it was. She ran her fingers through her bangs. So? Now what? She just blew off her plans for the day, and she sure as hell didn't want to go home and just sit around. So, what could do with the rest of her day? Go to Rei's? She really didn't feel like being treated like an idiot when she told them about her suspicions again. But like she said, she didn't want to go home. She started to weigh the pros and cons. Go home and do nothing, or go to Rei's and get bitched at? If she went home she could always talk to her mother about what was bothering her, even if her father was home. She couldn't understand why he still didn't approve of Mamoru. And if she went to Rei's she would have to listen to them tell her that she was just being paranoid. And right now she just needed to be listened to and maybe get some advice from someone who was more or less a neutral. So, she went home.

When Usagi got home she found her mother in the kitchen doing dishes. She sighed and walked up to her mother and started drying some dishes.

"Oh! Hello," Ikuko said surprised, "Are you alright honey?" She asked when noticed what her daughter was doing.

Usagi sighed again, "I think that things aren't working out between Mamoru and I."

"Why on earth not? He's such a nice young man. Very polite."

Usagi smiled inwardly at her mother's observation; "He's just.." She had to think of how to word it; "He just doesn't seem to want me around anymore. He didn't call me last night and today went I went over he seemed distant. Like he'd rather be doing something else." No, he didn't. It made more sense in her mind, than when she said it. Maybe it was all in her head.

"Oh, well maybe something's on his mind. Maybe he's just going through something right now. Is there anything you can think of that would be bothering him?"

"Well," Usagi thought, "His year end exams are coming up in a week."

"Well, maybe that's it. Exams can put a lot of pressure on a person." Ikuko handed Usagi the last glass and began to put the dishes away.

"Maybe, It just worries me. I don't want to lose him," Usagi sat down at the kitchen table with her mother.

"Well, Try talking to him about it. Ask him if there's anything you can do to help."

Usagi smiled, "Thanks, mama."

Well, there's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it was so short, but it's 5:53 in the morning and I'm tired. I just wanted to get the first part done and out there to what ppl think so for. Hope you liked it. Please review..


	2. Part Two

Usagi sat on her bed reading a magazine with her phone beside her. She heaved a sigh and turned to look at the clock: 9:30. She picked up the phone and heard the dial tone. No one's on the phone, she thought as she placed it back down gently. Maybe he's just studying hard, she thought. Like mom said, he probably has a lot on his mind. She pouted, then snatched up the phone and dialed his number. I'm so pathetic, she said as she rested her forehead in her palm.  
  
After a few rings she heard Mamoru's groggy voice, "Moshi moshi."  
  
"Mamo-chan?" Usagi replied trying to hide her annoyance.  
  
"Usagi?" Mamoru asked unsure.  
  
"Hai. Who else?" She stopped trying to hide her tone.  
  
"Can we talk some other time? I'm on my way to work." He sounded distant and disinterested.  
  
"Iie! We can't talk some other time and you're not on your way to work cause it's 9:30 and you have school in the morning. Mamoru? What's going on?" She asked not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"What do you mean?" He sounded aggravated.  
  
"Don't you want me anymore? Did I do anything wrong?" A single tear ran down her cheek, she absently brushed it away and put her forehead back in her palm.  
  
His tone softened, "Oh, Usako. Of course I still want you. I just have a lot of things on my mind right now. But I really do have to go to work, they called me in for a couple of hours."  
  
"Okay," She reluctantly agreed, "I'll talk to you later." She gently put the phone back down and looked around her room. She suddenly realized how lonely and bare her room was. Every thing was so neat, so organized, so. not her. She definitely was not neat and organized. She almost got up and started throwing things around her room, making as big as a mess as she could. But thought better of it when she realized how long it would take her to clean it. Her thoughts drifted back to Mamoru. He said he had things on his mind. Like what? Exams, as she had already established, right now they were a big part in his life. But he sounded more troubled than that. Maybe he was thinking about his parents again and how he doesn't remember them and wished he did. She wished he would tell her what was on his mind, maybe she could help. She had always been there before when he needed to talk to someone. Her mind wondered back to her first suspicion, what if he didn't want her anymore, or what if he's seeing someone else? She quickly shook that thought off. Don't be stupid, she thought. After all, they were destined to be together. Or at least that's what it felt like. She frowned, what if he doesn't feel the same? So then, what if he doesn't want her anymore? What if he is seeing someone else? She sighed, all this worrying isn't going to get me anywhere. She rolled over on her side and turned her TV on. After several minutes of flipping through the channels and finding nothing interesting she turned the TV off and turned back to her magazine. Finally, she closed her reading material and took a deep breath. Maybe she was being a little paranoid. There are a million good reasons that Mamoru was acting like he was, exams being one of them. She decided she needed to get her mind off of things, but not just yet. It was too late in the evening to do anything tonight. She picked up the phone and called Makoto. After a 10-minute phone call of establishing what they should do tomorrow after school, Usagi hung up and went to bed.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Makoto greeted Usagi at her locker after school.  
  
"So?" Usagi began, putting some of her books away, "What are we doing?"  
  
"Well, Minako wanted to go to the arcade to grab a bite to eat, we usually do that anyway, and then we'll go from there." Makoto replied as she watched her friend close her locker. They both turned and began to walk side-by-side down the hall.  
  
"Okay," Usagi responded, "Sounds good. Maybe we can go shopping. I need to have a day off from things."  
  
"Still worried about Mamoru?"  
  
Usagi drew in a breath, "A little. It's not so much that he didn't call and seems distant. But it's the fact that I can't figure why he's acting this. It's driving me insane!"  
  
"Well, I'm sure everything will reveal itself in due time. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. He's probably just stressed over exams." Makoto tried to sound reassuring but wasn't sure if she was succeeding.  
  
"That's what my mom says. And you guys are probably right," Usagi sighed again, "I mean, how many times have I stressed out about him and it's turned out to be something minor. Too many times to count."  
  
"Exactly. So why worry this time?" Makoto linked arms with Usagi as they walked down the street toward their favourite hang out, besides Rei's temple, of course." Makoto thought it best not to mention the time Mamoru broke up with Usagi and was a complete ass toward her, all because of some dream. They did, however, she reminded herself, over come that and their relationship grew even stronger. Makoto looked up to the sky. They never did find out why he was having those dreams. But that was beside the point. Makoto was positive it was nothing but the pressure of exams that was bothering Mamoru.  
  
She held the door open for Usagi, followed her to their usual seat and sat down. Usagi decided she wanted to look at the menu and did so. She did this every once in awhile. Makoto guessed it was because she didn't want to miss it in the event that something new was being listed. Even though Motoki would tell her straight off.  
  
"Are you going to try something different today Usa?" Motoki asked after he greeted the five girls.  
  
"Well, I'm going to have my usual beverage and some mozzarella sticks, I think." She replied with a smile.  
  
"I'm going to have a vanilla shake and a burger," Minako informed.  
  
Motoki smiled and left to fill the orders.  
  
"So," Makoto started, "Usagi wants to go shopping. How 'bout you guys?" All the girls agreed. After several minutes Usagi piped up, "I think I'm going to get a pet." She said staring out the window. It caught everyone off guard. Where did that come from?  
  
"A pet?" Rei repeated, "Are you sure that you wouldn't kill the poor thing?" She teased.  
  
Usagi stuck her tongue out and then smiled at the teasing, "No. I don't know, I was thinking maybe I'd get a kitten."  
  
"Kittens' don't stay kittens forever." Ami pointed out.  
  
"Kudo's to Ami for always stating the obvious." Minako joked, quietly applauding.  
  
"And what made you decide this all of a sudden?" Rei inquired, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
Usagi shrugged, "I don't know," She said playing with an earring, "I just want one." Just then a pair of hands came down and covered her eyes. She recognized those hands, mainly the sent that their owner held. She didn't know whether she should be thrilled or wonder why the owner of those hands wasn't in school. But she decided to sound thrilled, for the time being, at least, "Mamo-chan! What are you doing here?" She turned and kissed him.  
  
"Well, I decided that I needed a little bit break and come see you. I know you'd be here. So," he held out his arms as if to present himself, "here I am." He then sat down across from Usagi.  
  
"Yup. Here you are," She said plastering on a fake smile, "When you should be in class studying for exams or least preparing for them."  
  
"This coming from someone who never studies and barely passes." He replied.  
  
Usagi's whole world stopped. People, movements, noises, everything stopped. Usagi stared at him, "Ouch." Was all she said. You could see the hurt in her eyes, in her voice. His words cut through her like a thousand jagged knives. Her friends just kept looking back and forth between the two. They were in shock of what they just heard. Usagi's eyes glazed over, she got up and headed for the washroom before he could see her cry.  
  
"Not cool," Makoto said and ran after Usagi, the other girls following. They found Usagi sobbing in a stall.  
  
"Usagi?" Ami asked concerned, "Are you going to be okay?" It was a dumb question, she knew it. But she didn't see anyone else making an effort to console their friend.  
  
"Eventually," Usagi's weak voice came from behind the stall door.  
  
"I cannot believe he said that to you," Rei fumed, kicking the garbage can over on its side, "Who does he think is?"  
  
Usagi slowly opened the stall door and leaned against it, "It's Okay. He's right, I shouldn't be telling what to do. Especially when I don't do it myself."  
  
"Why not?" Minako asked, "You just want him to succeed in life."  
  
"You care about him and his future," Ami stated.  
  
"Exactly," Rei agreed, "Why shouldn't you worry and be concerned when he's not is school like he should be."  
  
"You wouldn't worry so much if you didn't love or care for him." Makoto pointed out.  
  
"Exactly," Rei said, "So I don't know what the hell his problem is."  
  
"It's true, you know?" Ami stated, "You have every right to be concerned."  
  
"Then why do I feel so guilty?" Usagi mumbled.  
  
"Because he's an ass." Rei said as if that would explain everything.  
  
"Rei!" Minako slapped Rei's arm.  
  
"What!? He's a guy and all guys are asses."  
  
Usagi giggled, "True. But want are you gonna do? Come on," She cheered up, "Let's go shopping."  
  
"Yeah!" Minako beamed, "Shopping!"  
  
They headed back to their table to finish their food and get their stuff. Usagi and Minako went to the counter to pay. Mamoru was sitting on one of the stools chatting with Motoki.  
  
"Usagi?" Mamoru turned his attention to her, "can I talk to you for a minute?" He sounded apologetic.  
  
Usagi sighed, "I guess," She waved Minako on. She would catch up with them later.  
  
"Look," Mamoru began, "I'm sorry about what I said. I'm just so sick of everyone telling me that I should be studying. Yes, I know exams are important. But I'm just so stressed out right now. The last thing I need is my girlfriend hounding, when all I want to do is spend time with her and get my mind off things. All I've been doing every day for the past week is studying. I want to go out and do things, and remember what it was like to have a life."  
  
"I understand what you mean. It just would have been nice if you told me what was on your mind. I have been worrying for three days not knowing what was going on."  
  
"What did you think was going on?"  
  
Usagi sighed, "I don't know. But it scared me. Remember that time when you were having those dreams and you began to ignore me? And when Motoki's sister asked who I was, you told her that I was just some girl you knew?"  
  
"It's nothing like that, Usako." He smiled, "Just exams. I promise."  
  
She smiled back, "Okay." She thought a moment; "I still think you should have gone to school today." She mumbled.  
  
"I did for a bit. I was on my way to my last class, and I thought that I would rather come see you and get my mind off things."  
  
She smiled at that, "Well, at least you went for most of the day."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Usagi was walking home from her day with her friends when she bumped into one of Mamoru's professors.  
  
Usagi smiled at the tall women, "Konnichi wa." She greeted.  
  
"Hello, Tsukino-San. How are you this evening."  
  
"Just fine, thank you. Just finished shopping and now I'm going home for the night." Usagi replied friendly.  
  
"Sounds like you had a fun day," Usagi nodded, "Have you seen Mamoru today?"  
  
"Yes." Usagi replied uncertain.  
  
"He wasn't in class today which I thought was unusual. Was he not feeling well?"  
  
"Which class does he have with you?" Usagi asked, anger building up.  
  
"Uh? Anatomy, first thing in the morning. Why?"  
  
Usagi tried hard to repress the growl in her throat, "Just curious. Yeah, he wasn't to well today. He's coming down with something." That son of a bitch.  
  
"Oh. That's too bad. Tell him I hope he feels better soon." She smiled.  
  
"Will do. But I should get going. I'll talk to you later." Usagi said before she headed toward her house. Just wait until she got a hold of a phone. Mamoru was sure going to hear it from her.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Well, that's it for part two. Hope you enjoyed it ^_^ I apologized for the wait. But I've moved out of my dad's and I don't have the net where I live =p plus, this part took me a lot longer than I thought to write it. I kept getting writer's block... This story is going to be more difficult to write than I thought. But yeah, anyway, I hope you guys liked it.. don't forget to review.... 


	3. Part Three

"Mamoru?!" Usagi shouted angrily when Mamoru answered the phone.  
  
"What ever happened to Mamo-chan?" He replied.  
  
"Can it! I'm not in the mood. How come you lied to me about going to school today?"  
  
He was taken aback. Confusion took hold of him, "I didn't. I told you I skipped last class."  
  
"Nah-uh. Try the whole day."  
  
"What? No. I was there most of the day." Oh boy, he was in deep.  
  
"Mamoru. I ran into one of your professors, she said you weren't there."  
  
"Maybe she just didn't see me." Fuck!  
  
"Some how I doubt that very much. Did you go to school or not? Tell me the truth!"  
  
"Alright, fine. I didn't go. I needed a break, okay? I told you that. Why are you so mad? It was only one day?" He began to wonder if they need the phone. He was sure he could hear her all the way from her house they way she was shouting.  
  
"I'm not mad 'cause you didn't go to school, I don't care about that. I'm mad 'cause you lied to me." Usagi waited for a response, when she received nothing she went on, "Why did you lie to me?" She was expecting a long explanation but all she got was a timid, "I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Is that the best you can come up with?  
  
"I guess I just didn't want to hear you yell at me anymore for not going. I told you I'm sick of all this. I didn't want you to get mad."  
  
"Trust me, I wouldn't have been as angry as I am now. You lied to me. How do expect me to believe you about certain things now?"  
  
Again she got another quiet; "I don't know," Followed by, "I'm sorry, Usako. Forgive me?"  
  
Usagi sighed, "I don't know if I can." She sat on the phone for a while in silence, before gently hanging up the phone. She began to consider what just went on. Did she overreact? She could she his point about worrying that she'd get mad. She knew she would. Then she began to think if there had ever been time where she had lied to cover something minor up. She couldn't remember. She probably had, maybe never lied to Mamoru, but she was sure she had done it to her parents. Maybe she did overreact. It was just a small lie, nothing big. She began to wonder why she was so concerned about his schooling. She knew he would never take a day off unless he felt it was necessary or if he knew he couldn't make up the work. Wow! She had overreacted.  
  
"I'm such a stupid little bitch," She whispered to herself before reaching for her phone. Before she could pick it up it rang, "Moshi moshi," She sounded displeased with herself.  
  
"Usako?" Mamoru's voice came from the other end, "Listen I-"  
  
"Iie. Don't. It's my turn to apologize."  
  
"Apologize?" He asked confused. What just happened? "Why?"  
  
Usagi heaved a sigh, "I overreacted and I apologize."  
  
"It's okay. You had a right to be upset. I shouldn't have lied. I'm just so sick of everyone getting on m case."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. Listen, can we do something tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure," She could hear it in his voice that he was smiling; "two o'clock sound good?"  
  
"It sure does. Your place?" She smiled.  
  
"It's a date."  
  
She giggled, "Okay, I'll see you then."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
She walked up to the door of Mamoru's apartment, excited that she would spend the day with him. She knocked on his door and waited. Nothing. Maybe he's still getting ready, she thought. Maybe his in the washroom and can't hear me. She knocked again. Yet again nothing. Come on, Mamo-chan. She knocked again. And just like the first two times, nothing. Mamo-chan! Where are you!? She knocked a little louder. Still nothing. She huffed a breath out and gave up. She turned and left. That stupid little--- he sure as hell was going to hear from her.  
  
She found a pay phone on her way home and called Makoto. They made arrangements to meet at the arcade. She could use a few games of Sailor V to take her anger out on. She turned the corner and sure enough there was Makoto waiting outside for her. Well, at she's reliable, Usagi thought.  
  
"So," Makoto started after they sat down and were comfortable, "What's up?"  
  
Usagi glared. Not at her friend, but at the situation, "He lied to me," Usagi thought it best to start at the beginning.  
  
Makoto cocked an eyebrow, "Who?"  
  
"Mamoru. He didn't go to school at all yesterday. He lied and told me he went all day except to his last class."  
  
"Maybe he just didn't want you to yell at him?" Makoto suggested.  
  
"When I got home yesterday, I called him and bitched him out. And that's what he told me, he didn't want me yelling. Anyway, I had time to think and I realized that I overreacted. big time. So I called him back and apologized."  
  
"So? What's the problem?" Makoto cut in, puzzled. Was there something she was missing?  
  
"I'm getting there. So, we made up and whatever. Then we made plans to do something today at two. I went over to his apartment and he didn't answer his door. I knocked at least three times."  
  
"Maybe he was still asleep," Makoto tried to justify what was going on. It wasn't like Mamoru to be doing this. Skipping schooling, lying and standing Usagi up without calling her to let her know that something came up. Mamoru loved this girl to death and would spend any possible time he had with her. He was too serious about school to skip for no reason. And he certainly never lied. What was going on? She was worried for her friend.  
  
"Maybe," Usagi said thoughtfully, "But he never sleeps in. You know the routine he has. Get up at 5, goes jogging for about two hours, comes home, has breakfast, watches the morning news, reads, finishes getting ready for the day, takes the---"  
  
"Okay, Usagi I get it. Maybe you should try calling him. Ask Motoki if you could use the phone, I'm sure he'd let you."  
  
"Alright. It's worth a try." She got up and walked to the counter, Makoto close behind, "Motoki-San?" Usagi said once they had reached the counter, "May I use the phone for a quick second?"  
  
Motoki smiled, "Sure." He opened the counter door for Usagi. She walked to the back toward the phone, just behind the cash register. She dialed the number and let it ring for a couple of minutes. No answer. She hung up the phone. She walked back beside Makoto.  
  
"No answer," She said glumly and sat down in a stool.  
  
"Who were you trying to call?" Motoki inquired.  
  
"Mamo-chan."  
  
"Mamoru? He's not home. He went out with Eva."  
  
Usagi shot a look at Motoki, "Who?" She said in a low tone.  
  
"I don't know. Some girl in one of his classes."  
  
Usagi looked over to Makoto, "Motoki?" Makoto asked, "You would tell Usagi if Mamoru were seeing someone else, right?"  
  
Motoki furrowed his brow, "Mamoru? Seeing someone else? Are you nuts? He's crazy about Usagi."  
  
"Just answer the question." Usagi said flatly.  
  
"Well," Motoki paused a second, "Yes. If he was and I knew anything, I would. But he's not. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason. Come on Mako-chan. Let's go." She stepped down off the stool and walked outside.  
  
"Do you want to go to Rei's? The other's might be there?" Makoto turned to Usagi after speaking to see that she was in tears. Her eyes softened, "Oh, Usa. Come on here." She took Usagi into a heartfelt hug; "It's going to be okay."  
  
"No it won't," Usagi gently pulled away, "Motoki said and I quote; 'if I knew anything.' Which means Mamo-chan could be seeing someone and he not know about it. Mamoru would most likely not tell him, because there is that chance that Motoki would tell me. And Mamoru knows it."  
  
"Look, I got an idea. We can find out who thing Eva chick is and ask her ourselves. If he were cheating on you, he probably wouldn't tell this girl that he already has a girlfriend. So if we meet this girl we can work it into the conversation. Then you would know for sure."  
  
Usagi tried to smile, but failed, "Okay."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
After Usagi and Makoto explained to other girls what had happened, they headed back to the arcade to search for 'clues' as Minako liked to call them. Really they were just going for food and to see if this mystery girl came in at all. Rei secretly hoped that Mamoru would come in so she could give him a piece of her mind. They had been at the arcade for about an hour when a young woman walked in. She had auburn hair just below her shoulders and bright green eyes. She smiled at Motoki and started in on a friendly conversation.  
  
"I'll go check it out," Makoto said as she walked toward the counter, "Motoki? Would it be possible to have a chocolate shake, please."  
  
"Sure thing," He turned back to the girl, "I'll be right back." He returned a few moments later with the shake. Makoto sat down on a stool and began sipping, "Uh? Makoto? Aren't you going back to your friends?"  
  
"Nope. They said they have to talk about something without me," She leaned in and whispered, "I think they're planning a surprise birthday party." She winked.  
  
"But your birthday's not for a while."  
  
Makoto shrugged, "No time, like the present."  
  
Motoki chuckled, "Okay. Whatever you say," He then turned back to the girl, "So? What did you guys do?"  
  
"We just went for a walk in the park and had a little picnic," The girl replied with a smile, "You wouldn't think it just by looking at him, but Mamoru can be very sweet."  
  
Bingo! Makoto thought, this must be her. Just then the phone rang and Motoki went to answer it.  
  
"So?" Makoto began, "You know Mamoru?" She made it sound like she was starting a friendly conversation.  
  
The girl smiled, "Yes. I'm in one of his classes."  
  
"Cool. I'm. Well, I suppose you could call me a friend of his," She never thought about the relationship that she held with Mamoru until now. Would he consider her a friend or just someone he knows through Usagi? She shrugged off the thought; "I'm Makoto."  
  
The girl smiled, "I'm Eva."  
  
"Eva. That's an interesting name."  
  
She smiled, "Thanks. I'm from Canada. I'm here on a student visa."  
  
Makoto was impressed, "Interesting. Why did you choose to come to Japan for school?"  
  
Eva shrugged, "I don't know. I've always wanted to come, so I thought why not go to school here."  
  
Makoto chuckled, "It works. So I guess you don't know a lot of people here then?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"You wanna come meet some of my friends, then?"  
  
"Sure," Eva smiled, "I'd love to."  
  
"So?" Makoto said as she lead Eva back to the booth, "Where did you start learning to speak Japanese?"  
  
"My father's Japanese, he spoke Japanese and English to me when I was growing up. So I learned it from him."  
  
"Cool," Makoto sat down and moved over for Eva, "Guys, this is Eva. She knows Mamoru."  
  
"Really?" Rei said sounding interested, "I'm Rei, by the way. So? How do you know him?"  
  
Eva smiled, "School. We have the same classes."  
  
"Are you dating him?" Minako got right up in her face.  
  
"Minako!" Ami scolded.  
  
Eva chuckled, thinking Minako was just being protective of her friend, "It's okay. No I'm not. He says he has a girl friend who he thinks the world of."  
  
"Damn straight!" Usagi stood up and looked Eva straight in the eye, "And don't you forget it!" She then walked away.  
  
"Ummm?" Eva was confused.  
  
"That's Usagi," Makoto explained, "Mamoru's girlfriend. You have to excuse her. She's just a little worried because Mamoru's not acting like his usual self."  
  
"Oh?" Eva seemed concerned.  
  
"Yeah, she can't figure out why and it's bothering her." Ami explained.  
  
"Well, If I can be of any help." Eva offered. She hated to see people upset, if she had it her way everyone would be happy.  
  
"We'll have to see," Rei began, "It's not that we don't like you or anything. We just don't know you that well. We'll have to get to know you better."  
  
"I understand completely. But is there I can do in the mean time?"  
  
"Just let us know if he misses anymore school and/or classes," Minako informed. Eva nodded.  
  
"You know the temple up on Cherry Hill?" Rei asked.  
  
"Yes," Eva replied.  
  
"Well, I'm a priestess there. If he does, come by and let me know."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Usagi went straight to Mamoru's apartment, almost positive that he'd be home. The elevator ride seemed like eternity. Just wait until I get up there, mister. What the hell is going on? First he skips school then lies about it and now he stands me up? Thoughts raced through Usagi's mind. Why is he acting like this? It couldn't possibly only be the pressure of exams. What was going on? When Usagi stepped off the elevator and headed toward Mamoru's apartment, she noticed that the door had not been fully shut, it just rested on the door jam. She slowly opened the door and called out Mamoru's name. She didn't receive an answer. Oh god! Was he dead? Had someone came in to rob him, saw that he was home and killed him out of fear? All her anger melted away and turned into fear. She loved him with all her heart; she couldn't bear to lose him. She started searching his apartment and finally made her way to his bedroom. The door was shut. She slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Her eyes went wide at what she saw. Mamoru was passed out on his bed; he held a rolled up dollar bill in his right hand. Beside him was a large piece of glass and a ziplock bag. The bag was full of a white powdery substance.  
  
Usagi ran for the phone and called an ambulance.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
^_^ Hope you enjoyed! On to part four! Don't forget to review!! 


	4. Part Four

I apologize for the long periods between these parts; this story is hard to write than I thought. I have to get every specific detail perfect, or it won't be realistic.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Usagi stayed all night with Mamoru in the hospital. She was sitting right beside him just in arms reach. She was staring out the window when she heard Mamoru stir. She looked over to him, he was waking up. He looked around the room and noticed Usagi sitting beside him, "Where am I?" He asked groggily.  
  
"The hospital." Usagi said quietly.  
  
"Mmmm. Why?"  
  
"Well, I came to see you yesterday and found you passed out in your bedroom."  
  
"I must of black out from exhaustion." He took a deep breath and stretched.  
  
"No, I don't think so. You and I both know why you're here."  
  
"We do?" Mamoru asked trying sound like he had no idea what she was talking about.  
  
"Drugs, Mamoru!? Are you insane?" She didn't want to start yelling at him when he first woke up, but she couldn't help it.  
  
"Drugs? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't play stupid with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about," She paused for a reply, but got nothing. Mamoru only looked away, "Why?" She said shaking her head.  
  
"I needed help."  
  
"Help?"  
  
He nodded, "I was just so stressed out with exams and everyone hounding me. I had to take something."  
  
"Then take stress relievers. Legal stress relievers," She added when Mamoru opened his mouth to say something, "Don't study as hard. Take breaks; go for a jog, watch TV, read, anything but what you did. You could have killed yourself, you know? If I hadn't come by when I did, I hate to think of what could have happened. You of all people should know that. This isn't just something you can take only for a period of time. It's highly addictive and will ruin your life. You know that I had tell the nurse that someone gave you some Tylenol laced with whatever drug you tested positive for?"  
  
"Cocaine." Mamoru informed glumly.  
  
"I know that! But I wasn't going to tell them that. If I knew what drug was in your system they would know something was up. I had to tell them this or you could have been arrested, and believe me it was a hard decision to make."  
  
Mamoru's brows furrowed, "Why?"  
  
"Because right now, I think that time in prison would do you good. Give you time to think about what you did. But I decided not to because right now that would ruin everything you work so hard for."  
  
Mamoru's eyes glazed over. He knew she was right. But that drug made him feel that he could take on anything that came his way, "So what now?" he asked not wanting to hear the answer.  
  
Usagi sighed, "I've given this a lot of thought. It's up to you to decide. It's either me or the drugs." She said, picked up her purse and left.  
  
Once Usagi was outside she looked up to the sky. Tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably. She knew what she could have just given up. Her heart broke into thousand tiny shards. She lowered her head and focused on the street post in front of her. Before she could think she punched it with all her strength. Remarkably, all that was left was a bruise a few hours later. Makoto happened to be walking around the corner when she saw Usagi punch the post. She started to run toward her, "Usagi? Are you okay? What happened? Does this have anything to do with Mamoru?"  
  
"It has everything to do with Mamoru!" She shouted as loud as she could, not caring that people walking by stopped and looked at her in confusion. She turned and kicked the same post, still sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"What happened? Did you talk to him? Did he break up with you?" Makoto immediately wished she hadn't asked that last question.  
  
"No. Worse."  
  
"Well?" Makoto swallowed.  
  
"He's on crack."  
  
"Excuse me?" She wasn't sure if she had heard Usagi right.  
  
"Crack. Cocaine! He's doing drugs."  
  
"What!?" Makoto didn't want to admit it, but somehow everything made sense now.  
  
Usagi sniffed, "You heard me." She said quietly.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure! I went over to his place after we met Eva. And I found him passed out in his room with a bag of Coke beside him. What am I going to do?"  
  
Makoto thought for a moment, "You could put him in a completely empty room with nothing but a tap. Turn the tap on just enough so it drips and make him listen to it. It'll drive him insane. Make him crazy enough to stop using drugs. We'll call it the 'Drippy Room'!"  
  
Usagi laughed at her friend's sense of humor, "Thanks for cheering me up."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Usagi sat at her desk staring blankly at her textbook. She had intended on actually doing her homework to get her mind off things, but it wasn't going as planned. She had been doing all of her homework all week, just so she wouldn't have to think about anything but the task at hand. She had also noticed an increase in her marks at school. So, there she sat, staring blankly into her textbook, almost looking through it. She was suddenly pulled out of her thought when the phone rang. Usagi blinked back into reality and looked over at the phone. After awhile she figured she had better answer it.  
  
"Moshi moshi?"  
  
"Usagi?" It was Mamoru. She hadn't heard from him in over a week. She was afraid he had chosen the wrong option of the choices she had given him.  
  
"Mam- Mamoru?" Her mouth turned dry and her voice cracked.  
  
"Look," He sighed, "We need to talk. Can you meet me at the park?"  
  
"Why can't we talk now?" Usagi asked afraid of what he would possibly want to talk about. Why had he taken so long to call her? She didn't think that it was such a hard decision to make. Maybe she was wrong about him chosen the right choice. Nothing seemed predictable anymore. If what he wanted to say was bad news, she would rather him tell her over that phone. She couldn't bear to see the dismissal in his eyes and expression; it was bad enough that she could hear it in his voice.  
  
"Because I'd rather if we talked in person."  
  
Usagi sighed, "Alright. I'll be there shortly."  
Usagi walked towards the bench that she and Mamoru usually sat at. Mamoru was already there. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands were crossed in front of him. He was looking down at his feet. After a short pause she sighed and began to walk toward him.  
  
"Okay. So I'm here. What do you want?" Usagi stated when she had reached him.  
  
"Well, you seem happy." Mamoru said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, let's see. I find my boyfriend past out in his bedroom, later find out that it was because of drugs. Then I don't hear from him in over a week and all a sudden he calls me and tells me he wants to 'talk'. How would you be?"  
  
"I've already apologized. What more do you want?"  
  
"Just hurry up and tell what you have to say, so I can't go home." Usagi said still expecting the worst.  
  
"Well, I've thought about what you said."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And I've made my decision." He paused.  
  
"Which would be?" Usagi said impatiently. Would you hurry the fuck up, I don't have time for this.  
  
He didn't know why, but this was really hard for him to tell her. "You." He said flatly.  
  
What? Usagi was taken aback. For some reason she wasn't expecting that. She should have felt relief, but she didn't. Why? "You realize that that means no more drugs what so ever. No 'only once in awhile' or 'only when I feel I can't cope with things' or 'things are getting too hard'. Not drugs period, starting right now."  
  
Mamoru drew in a breath, "I know."  
  
"I don't ever want you even to think about them. And I don't ever want to get the scare I did," Usagi's voice softened, "I really thought I lost you. I don't know what I'd do without you, I love you too much. With all my heart and all of me. If I lost you, I'd die. I don't know what I'd do."  
  
"I know. I'm so sorry, I scared you," He pulled her into a hug, "I love you too."  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Hope you enjoyed! Sorry if the ending was a little corny. I plan to revise it later. This is just so you guys get the jest of things.. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. ^_^ please review.. 


	5. Part Five

Mamoru looked down at the floor of the elevator that was taking himself and Usagi up to his apartment. "Usagi," He said after thinking for a while. He didn't wait for her to answer, "You know that it's not going happen right away. I mean, I can't just stop over night, cold turkey if you will." He stumbled over his words, not sure of what her response was going to be. 'Well, why the hell not?' He could hear her say. 'You either start being stone cold sober right now, or we're finished.' He didn't want to loose her, she was all he had left, he felt that way anyway. But he found her saying something quite different than he hadn't expected.

"I realized that," She said as the elevator doors opened and they stepped off, "And I don't expect it to be the easiest thing in the world for you. Though I really don't want you to be using it anymore, from this moment on. I know," She said when he began to protest, "It's gonna be hard. But please try." She found it funny how neither of them could admit what they were speaking about, always calling it 'It' as if, if they didn't refer to it properly it wouldn't exist and would disappear.

He opened the door to his apartment and they both walked in, "I want you to," Usagi continued, "go and get everything you have and give it to me." She kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room. He opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it and did as she asked. He left only to return moments later with a baggy that was a quarter full of a white powder, "All of it," she said and held out her hand. He sighed, reached in his back pocket, pulled out another bag and handed it to her. Her jaw mentally dropped open, how much crack was here? She thought. This must have cost him a fortune. Shrugging off that thought, it's like I'm talking about collectables and how expensive they were, she immediately went into the washroom, opened each bag and flushed the powder down the toilet. He reminded her of a sulking child when his favourite toy was taken away from him. She then turned to him, "I know it's difficult, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. If you ever feel that you can't handle it, give me a call and we'll talk, okay? Even if it's three in the morning." She turned to him and took him in her arms; "It'll be okay. We'll get through this."

He truly felt he could at that moment with her there. Maybe all he needed was her strength to get him through this. Her strength and love. He smiled down at her and kissed her softly, "Thank you." Was all he could say.

She smiled back his 'you're welcome' and squeezed him one last time before heading to the living room again. "So, how did your exams go?" She asked trying to catch up on the last week.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Exams? "Shit," He muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?" She asked concerned, "You did write them, didn't you?" Her eyes looked at him expectantly.

He heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, "I forgot all about them." This is it, he thought. Life is officially screwed up, and there was nothing he could do about it.

She wanted to stand up and start yelling at him about being so irresponsible. How could he have forgotten something like that? This was his future, this was what he had been working so hard to accomplish. And he just let it go out the window. No, she calmed herself down, he didn't mean to. A lot had happened recently, it wasn't any wonder why they had slipped his mind. "Well, we'll just have to call the school and explain to them that you have been recovering the last week. I'm sure they'll let you write them," She headed to the phone. He highly doubted it. What had he been thinking? How could he have forgotten about his exams? How could he… He sighed not wanting to finish the thought. He truly started to hate himself right then. He sat down on the couch and listened, as Usagi reasoned with the Dean. She explained to the Dean that Mamoru had not been well, and had been hospitalized over night. She also explained due to his recovery and recent events surrounding it, things had been forgotten and this, unfortunately, was one of them. Finally, Usagi said her thank yous and good-bye's and hung up the phone. She turned her attention back to Mamoru and sighed, "He said that you can write them on Wednesday, but you have to bring a doctor's note or some kind of proof that you were in the hospital and not feeling well."

He was relieved, for the most part. He was worrying, though, about whether it would state on the doctor's note why he had been in the hospital. He also started thinking about everything Usagi was doing; he thought about it a lot in the next few moments.

"Why do you care so much?" He finally found himself saying.

Usagi, who had moved back over on the couch after Mamoru hadn't said anything, looked at him. Her heart dropped. It hurt her that he would even think that she didn't care, let alone ask why she did as if he didn't want her to. She found it hard to answer the question. She knew why she cared so much, but when it came time to put into words she was speechless.

"Because," she started, "I care about you." She paused, and then realized that wasn't enough, "and I love you."

"Yes," He began, "I know, but---"

"Isn't that reason enough?" She asked. Tears stung her eyes. She didn't know why, but this conversation they were having hurt beyond belief. It was like he didn't believe her when she told him she loved him.

"I guess I just need more of an answer," He replied, not sure if he was making any sense.

She thought a moment; "It doesn't matter why I care so much," She stood, taking him with her, "I just do." She hugged him and felt a twinge of pain, when he didn't hug back. "You know," she began, pulling away from him, "It's going to be very hard to help you and be here for you, if you keep pushing me away."

"Mmmm," Was all he said before he walked to his bedroom and closed the door. Usagi took a deep breath, picked up her purse and went home, where she cried non-stop for three hours, before she finally fell asleep.

Mamoru heard Usagi leave. He heaved a sigh before collapsing on his bed. He was so depressed. He couldn't justify why he was as depressed as he was. Sure he was entitled to be a little bit depressed, but not as depressed as he was. He felt that if he just laid there, on his stomach, arms at his side and his face half buried in the comforter, time would stop. Everything that was happening around would stop and he'd be frozen time and when the sun rose tomorrow morning, everyone who had ever known about his existence would forget about him entirely. He wasn't sure if that thought and him being depressed made any sense together if he explained it to someone else, but it made sense to him. It like saying that after an injury it felt heavy, numb and painful all at the same time. It didn't really make sense, but it did in away. He furrowed his brow, why was he thinking about this? Even his thoughts didn't make any sense. Slowly, heavily he raised his right arm beside him and used it to push himself over on his back. Staring at the ceiling he began to wonder what the point of anything was anymore. He screwed things up at school, even though he was giving a second chance, he didn't know if he'd be able to concentrate while writing his exams. And he was sure he had screwed things up with Usagi. He looked over to the phone beside his bed. He should call her and apologize for walking away. He wanted to, but didn't at the same time. He sighed, another contradiction. He guessed that he wanted to, but didn't feel like arguing at the moment. Besides, he assumed, she wouldn't be home yet. So he decided he would call her tomorrow. He then looked over to the pile of books by his dresser. Maybe he should study. Deciding that that would be the best way to get his mind off things, he stood and collected his books.

Walking into the living with his books under his arm he felt numb, like this was all a dream and he'd wake up. No such luck, he thought as he clumsily stubbed his toe on the couch, spilling his books all over the floor, he grabbed his foot and cursed, this definitely was not a dream.

Usagi sighed, "Am I doing the right thing, by staying with him?" She asked herself as she sat on her bed staring at the wall. She suddenly realized that she was having a conversation with wall. She was even answering for it.

"Of course you are. He needs the support right now. Don't let him push you away." She paused and pondered on that. 'It's hard not to," She finally said, "I don't feel welcome around him anymore. I feel more like a burden than someone to lean on." She sat staring at the wall waiting for an answer, when she didn't get one; she sighed and picked up the phone. Who am I calling? She thought as her finger hovered over the keypad. She hung up the phone and walked to the bathroom. She stood staring at the tub for several seconds before she decided that it wasn't going to fill itself and moved forward to turn the water on.

"Of you're going to feel like that," She said, now starting a conversation with the water as she sat on the toilet, lid down, staring into the steaming tub, "And it's going to feel like he's pushing you away," She reasoned, repeating the comment she had already made in her bedroom, "but don't give up on him. He wants your help, he just won't admit to it. And if you give up…. If you give up…." She trailed off not able to finish the thought. What would happen if she gave up? Would he go back to it? Would their relationship cease to exist? Would he… Oh stop it! Stop thinking like this. You need to think positively. You need to believe that he will overcome this, that he will start studying again, that your relationship will strengthen from having worked this problem out. Because if you don't believe, who will?

Double helixes, DNA, chromosomes. It was all Greek to him now. Wait, isn't a double helix the same thing as DNA? He shook his head in a feeble attempt to clear it. He turned his text book pages to the working of the heart and lungs. Wasn't there a section in the exam about this? It seemed all high school science to him. Why are we going over shit we covered in high school? Ugh! It was all too frustrating for him. But wait a minute. Was this the reason he starting taking those poisons in the first place? If it all seemed so elementary to him, why had he needed them to concentrate? To take the edge off? Maybe things are only as bad as you let them seem. So he had almost ruined everything he ever had going for him, for what? Because he let himself think that these problems were huge? Because he didn't know the answer one day? He cursed himself silently.

"How could I have done something so stupid?" He wanted someone to smack him hard across the face, because he knew he deserved it. Hell, he deserved a lot worse. He shook the thought out of his head. He needed to clear it if he was going to spend the rest of the day studying, and that's exactly what he had planned to do.

The ring of the phone jolted him out of his sleep. He rubbed his hands over his face. Looking around he discovered that he wasn't in his bedroom, but he was actually in the living room where he had been studying. Ugh! I let myself fall asleep. Why can't I get my act together? It's just so…

The phone continued to ring, annoyed at the high pitched chirping, Mamoru launged for the phone.

"What?" He said angrily. There was a bit of silence.

"Did I call at a bad time?" Usagi's voice came through from the other end.

Mamoru sighed, "No. Sorry I fell asleep and the phone startled me. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay. Sorry if I scared you. Anyway, I was calling because…"

Usagi voice drifted off. Mamoru looked over to his textbook, which had been his pillow for the past who knows how many hours. There was a small drool stain on it. He reached over for a tissue and wiped it off, hoping that it didn't cause too much damage. He then marked his place in the book. And then got up and went in the kitchen for a drink. As he was pouring himself some Orange juice he heard someone say; "How does that sound?"

"Hmmm? What." He suddenly remembered he was on the phone with Usagi.

"Have you been listening to me?" Usagi asked a little disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Usako. My mind is everywhere but here right now. I'm tired and agitated, and I just wanted to go to sleep for several years." Mamoru ran his fingers through his hair and heaved a sigh.

"Maybe I should call back tomorrow then?"

"That might be a better idea." They said their good-bye's and hung up. Mamoru walked back into the living room and stared at his books. He didn't feel like studying anymore. He turned off the lights and went to bed.

Mamoru sat in the empty lecture room, staring down at his test paper. He heard the voice of his professor, "Mamoru? Are all right? You've been here for almost an hour and haven't answered a single question."

Mamoru sighed, "I'm sorry. I just can't seem to concentrate. There's a lot going on for me right now, and…."

"Well, try to. Whether you pass or fail rests on this exam."

Great, thanks. Why don't you just add to the tension? Mamoru cleared his mind and tried to concentrate the best he could. It took him almost three hours but he completed the test and handed it in.

A few weeks later he met Usagi at The Crown to grab a bit to eat. He was expecting a cheerful hello, but what he got was, "I talked to your professor today."

Taken aback by this statement, he blinked and said, "Excuse me?"

"Said you barely passed your exam."

Mamoru slowly sat down across from Usagi, "yes, but I did pass it."

"But barely. Mamoru, you're capable of so much more. I know you could have passed that exam with flying colors."

"I took that test a week after going cold turkey. My head was swimming, I always felt like I had a huge weight on my chest. I couldn't breathe half the time, let alone think. I think I did pretty good for the condition I was in."

"Yes, but you could have done better."

"Why is it that everyone expects perfection outta me! I'm human I'm going to make mistakes. Why can't I slack a bit? YOU always seem to be able to do it and no one says a thing. But as soon I let things slide a bit, people go over broad with answers as to why. And then they come and tell me that sometimes my best isn't good enough! I always have to top of my class, at the top of everything. And maybe I'm sick of it! It's been a month since I quit and I think I'm doing pretty damn good! But no, it's not good enough for anyone who's ever known me. They expect perfection! And I've had it!" With that he got up and started to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Usagi asked.

He did answer. He heard her, but he didn't answer. He walked out the doors and into the fresh air where he took a deep breath. It was a good question though. Where was he going? He looked around and made up his mind. "I'm going to make a purchase." He said to himself and began to walk down the street.

AN: Well there you have it….. It took me forever and a day but it's finally here…… I'm in the process of updating all my fanfics. The next one I plan to do is my Elios/Chibiusa story….. so watch for that one. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and don't forget to review


	6. Part Six

Mamoru drove home with his prize. No one would notice. Would they? He had just purchased enough to get this edge off. Just one more time and no one would be the wiser. One more time and that would be it. Who was he trying convince? Himself? Does it matter? He looked over to the passenger seat where his book bag sat, which harbored the substance. He swallowed, he somehow knew that this would probably back fire on him. But he needed it so bad. He couldn't take all this pressure. He like he was being pulled from every which way and soon, if the tension didn't let up, he would be ripped apart. He walked into his part and set everything he needed up. Lastly he rolled up a paper bill, and inhaled. He felt all the tension in his boy release. He felt calm and clear minded. How could anyone be against this? How could anyone want him to go through what he felt like when he was sober? How could--- "Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru opened his eyes quickly to see Usagi standing in the open door way to his apartment. Her eyes looked from him to the living room table, and back to him.

Mamoru stood up from the couch and started to make his way over to her, "Usako---"

"Don't!" She said abruptly, causing him to stop in his tracks. She looked back at the table and then back at him with tears in her eyes. She swallowed and nodded slowly, "I see you've made your decision."

"Usagi, please--"

"No. I gave you a choice Mamoru--"

"This was the last time, I swear it."

She nodded again, "And is that what your going to say the next time? And the time after that? I gave you a choice. And it's clear what's more important to you…"

"Usako..."

"No, don't say anything. There's nothing you can say to change my mind. You've broken my heart and it's beyond fixing. Good-bye, Mamoru." And with that, she left and closed the door behind her.

Usagi flopped down on her bed and bawled her eyes out. How could he just throw away everything they ever had? Her heart was shattered and there was no reversing it. She wouldn't love again, she was sure of it. Not after this betrayal, how could she trust her heart to anyone again. There was a soft knock at the door; the door then opened to reveal her mother.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Ikuko sat down next to her daughter on the bed and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Mamoru and I broke up." Usagi said softly.

"Good heavens, why?"

"He felt he had more important things in life to do."

"I'm so sorry honey. Do you want some pie?"

"Thank you, but no. This hurts really bad, mama. I feel like I can't show my face anywhere again, nor do I want to. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't… I don't want to be anywhere."

Ikuko sat there and pondered on this. She hated seeing her daughter hurt like this. She wanted to do something so Usagi would feel a lot better, but what. She said so herself she didn't want to be here, she didn't want…. That's it!

"Usagi? How many more exams do you have left before summer vacation?"

Puzzled by the question, she turned to look at her mother, "Two. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe, after you're done school. You could somewhere else for vacation. Maybe even a different country."

Usagi wiped her eyes, "Really? By myself, for the whole summer?"

"You don't have to go by yourself if don't want to. Besides it'll give you time away from everything you hate right now, and maybe by the end of the summer you'll be over him and can move on."

Usagi spun around and flopped down in a sitting position, legs crossed, "That's a great idea mom! I can't wait! I gotta go shopping! I gotta get new shirts, new shorts! I gotta… figure out where I'm going…"

Ikuko smiled, "you will you have just over a week--"

"Nine day."

"Yes, well. The point is that you have plenty of time to figure it out."

Usagi came home from school that day with different pamphlets for different vacation spaces. She went immediately up to her room and sprawled them out on her bed. One caught her eye more than the others did. She picked it up. Through the booklet she saw pictures of mountains and plains and beaches and forests. It was beautiful. This is where is wanted to go; this place was perfect.

She went downstairs into the kitchen where her mother was baking, "Mama. I figured out where I want to go in a few days."

"That's great honey. Where?"

"Nova Scotia, Canada."

AN: Okay I know that this part was short. But I wanted to get to the point and make you guys wonder what's going to happen….

Don't forget to review


	7. Part Seven

Usagi sat in her window seat, staring at the booklet she held. Reading over and over again about Nova Scotia. Had she made the right choice? She liked the way British Columbia looked too, with all those mountains and huge forests of huge trees. But she couldn't change her mind now. She was already in the air on her way to her destination. I kinda wish Mamo-chan were coming with me though… No! We broke up remember? That's why I'm going on this vacation, to get away from him and try to get over him. Did I do the right thing though? Could I have handled it differently? Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. Maybe I should have…. No! Stop it! Stop thinking about him. I'm going on vacation and I'm going to enjoy it.

She had never been so far away from home before, let alone by herself. But she was looking forward to it. It would give her sometime to think, to be alone and not have anyone interrupt. She could anything she wanted, when she wanted. She wouldn't have to wait for other people to make up their minds and comprise her plans with others. She was free to do her own thing all summer. It was extremely exciting. If it was so exciting then why did she suddenly find herself in the washroom crying her eyes out again? She took a deep breath and look at herself in the mirror. This hurts so much. Why can't I just let him go? I don't want it to hurt anymore. Then followed a stream of tears again. She still loved him. Of course she did. It had only been two weeks since she broke up with him. Will she ever stop loving him? Probably not. He was her first everything. Well, maybe not everything but she was sure that if things had worked out he would have been. He was her fist boyfriend, her first kiss, her first long-term relationship, her first love. But he threw that all away. And for what? A white powder that gives you the illusion that everything is fine in your life and you can accomplish anything. She felt ashamed. Why was she not able to give him that feeling? Maybe it was her fault as why he turned to it.

"Oh my god," She muttered to herself quietly as she gazed into the mirror, "It was my fault. I was pushing him to hard. I was always on his case. I _was_ demanding perfection from him," She looked into the mirror again, and knew she was deceiving herself, "No. That's not the case. I'm just looking for someone blame. Right? Or was it my fault?" She took a deep breath and splashed water on her face and wiped her eyes. "I don't wanna think about this right now. I wanna think about the fun that I'm going to have this summer." With that, she opened the door and returned to her seat and continued her reading.

There was only a month and a half left of summer and she has had a blast all summer. She had gone to the beaches, saw the sites, volunteered at a summer camp for disabled children and went shopping… a lot. Now she sat in her hotel room, surfing the Internet on the laptop her father had bought her for the trip so she can email her family. Normally, she hated pop-ups, but this time one of them caught her eye. And She took the chance to look at it. It was advertising a local university. It had listed some of the courses it offered and one held her interest. A drug and alcohol counselor. She had never really thought about what she wanted to go to college for. But this sparked her interest. She couldn't help Mamoru but maybe she could help other people with their problems. She immediately clicked on the link and started researching. She got a little discouraged when she discovered that she needed higher grades in the high school courses she needed in order to even be considered for this course. But then she got an idea. She picked up the phone and dialed the number offered on the site. She inquired if there was anything she could do to get the grades she needed to be accepted. She was thrilled to hear that they did offer courses that she could take again to raise her marks. They even offered to help hook her up with a student visa, since she needed one if she was to study outside of her country. They set up an appointment for her meet with some counselors to help her through the process. She hung up the phone with a big smile on her face and immediately hung up the phone to inform her parents of her plans.

Usagi looked around at the apartment that the university had helped her get. She had spent the rest of her vacation redoing those courses she needed to get into that program and she had received her student visa. Usagi went into her bedroom and laid out some clothes on her bed for tomorrow. After all, tomorrow was the day she was to start her college career. Her father had emailed her back saying that he and her mother were thrilled that she had found something that she wanted to do. Though her career of choice wasn't exactly what they expected. But he was glad to support her. And glad to pay for her schooling and anything else she needed for school, including her apartment.

She was so excited about her new life. Everything was going great, except for one thing. She still hadn't gotten over Mamoru and cried herself every night to sleep thinking about him. She still felt as crushed as she did the day of the break up. She always found herself wondering how he was. If he was still addicted, or if he had made a true attempt to quit. She found it hard to sleep at night with these thoughts running through her mind, which was always restless. She found herself now sitting on her bed, clutching her pillow and letting her tears flow into it. She missed him. She missed his kiss, his sent, his touch. She missed him so much that sometimes she felt empty and vulnerable. But she couldn't think of him now. There will plenty of time to wallow in self-pity. Right now she had to think of her big day.

Usagi sat in the cafeteria alone at an empty table, looking over her schedule. She was totally unaware of the two girls looking at her.

"She looks new." One of the girls said pointing in Usagi's direction.

The other looked in Usagi's direction, "Yeah she's in most of my classes. Must be studying the same thing. Let's go say hi."

"Becky I don't know…"

"Lex, You gotta take some chances in life. No wonder you don't have many friends."

"I do too!"

"I mean besides everyone from high school. Have you made any friends since? I don't think so. Come on." Becky got up and led the way, "Hi." She greeted Usagi with a smile and sat down across from her, the other girl sat beside Becky. Usagi smiled politely and waved, "I'm Becky and this is Alexis, or Lex as most of us call her." Usagi smiled again and let out a small hello, "You can speak English can't you?" Becky asked politely.

Usagi sighed wearily, "Enough to get me by." She answered in her thick Japanese accent, "I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude. I just don't know anyone from around here."

Becky smiled, "That's why we came over here, to say hi, introduce ourselves and ask if you wanted to hang out after school."

"After school?" Usagi was taken by surprise.

"Yeah. We don't bite I promise. You look like you can use some friends. So what do you say?" Becky smiled.

"Sure why not. I don't have anything else to do."

Becky chuckled, "See? That's great. Nothing better to do than hang out with us." She gave Usagi a friendly grin.

"Oh! I didn't mean…"

Becky waved her hand, "It's okay. It was a joke. So meet here after classes?"

Usagi nodded, "Okay."

Becky and Alexis got up to leave, "great." Becky said, "See you then. Oh! What's your name anyway?"

"Usagi."

A couple weeks went by and Usagi was building a great friendship with Becky. They now sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, Becky was looking at the classifieds in the paper, Alexis was digging in the bottom of her pudding cup trying the get the last bit out and Usagi was writing a letter to her friends back home. Alexis looked over to Becky and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Well, now that I've gotten rid of that nutcase roommate of mine I'm seeing if people are for or to be roommates. As you can see I'm not getting very far."

"I don't think she was the nutcase." Alexis retorted.

"Yes, she was. She wasn't as wacky or crazy as I am, therefore she's clearly a nutcase."

"You're looking for a roommate?" Usagi piped up.

"Yuppers. No luck so far." Becky answered.

"Well, I was thinking of getting one. I feel guilty that my father's paying for everything while I'm down here, so I was thinking of ways to make it less expensive. So if you're interested we could move in together."

Becky's eyes went wide, "That's a great idea! If you'd like I can move in your place, since you've already got a two bedroom (for reasons I still don't understand), plus the rents cheaper and it's closer to school. Plus you wouldn't have to worry bout moving your stuff, since your life has already been up heaved enough, I'm assuming."

"Usagi smiled, "Sounds great. We can work the details out after school."

Becky nodded, "Great! And---" Becky stopped abruptly, "oh god!"

Usagi's eyes furrowed, "What is it?"

Becky motioned behind Usagi with her head; "It's Cassandra. She's a friend's of ours ex. But for some reason she still thinks that she's still 'in' with us. Or acts like it anyway. She's been trying to get back with him ever since he broke up with her. I just hope she's not coming over here. Oh! Thank god she walking the other way. I hate people like her."

Usagi frowned, "People like her."

"Yeah, you know that popular snobby type? Thinks she's better than everyone else."

"If she thinks she's better than everyone one else, then why does she still hang around you guys?"

"To try to get back with her ex," Alexis explained, "She only wants him back because---"

"Lexis! Please! I don't want to hear about that!" Becky interrupted, "Yeah she cheated on him and broke his heart. I can't think of anything worse than being betrayed by the one you love."

"Tell me about it." Usagi thought aloud.

Becky and Alexis looked at each other, than at Usagi, "Okay," Becky began, "Spill. Tell us about the bastard."

Usagi looked back and forth between the two with her eyes, "About who?"

"The guy that broke your heart," Alexis answered, "Who was he and what did he do."

Usagi looked down at the table; "He wasn't who I thought he was. He betrayed me and stepped all over my heart."

"Yes," Becky urged, "But what did he do?"

Usagi sighed, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay fair enough. Hey! You know what? One of our friends is in a band and he's performing at the local bar on Friday. We're all going, you wanna tag along? You'll get to meet new people, make more friends, you know, the whole nine yards. Come on. Do it for me, your new roommate."

Usagi thought a moment and then sighed, "Alright. What do I have to lose?" She glanced up at the clock, "Well, I gotta go to class. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Becky waved and watched Usagi leave.

Alexis turned to Becky with a look of suspicion on her face, "What are you planning?"

Becky grinned from ear to ear, "What?"

"I know you. You're planning something."

"You're right, I am. Look, she obviously got her heart broken pretty bad. I mean, she wouldn't even talk about it. And the band is full of single guys…"

"Dan's not single," Alexis reminded.

"Dan's never single."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true. Anyway, we just have to ask around to see who's looking. Though I have one in mind. We know these guys. We know that any one of them will treat her right. We just gotta talk to them and make sure that she doesn't know it's a set up."

"You're thinking about asking Damon, aren't you?"

Becky grinned again, "Oh! Come on. He's a nice guy. She's a nice girl."

"I think that you should just stay out of it. Remember the last time you tried to hook Jo up? Was he a pathological kleptomaniac, who liked to sleep with women 30 years older than him?"

"Okay, that was one time---"

"And the guy before that who was a pyro and almost set her hair on fires?"

"Oka---"

"And then that guy with the weird fungus fetish?"

"Okay. You've made you point. But this is different. We know them both, and we know that they're both pretty decent."

"We've only known Usagi for a few weeks. For all we know she could be a pseudo masochist, with a fetish for beastiality and human fecal matter."

Becky grinned; "Only if we're lucky."

Becky was all moved in to Usagi's apartment now. And to celebrate they went out and got makeovers. Usagi decided to something drastic and cut her hair. She only got it cut to just below the middle of her back, but it was now considerable shorter than what it was before. After they got their hair and make-up done, they went shopping for some clothes to wear to wear that night at the bar. Things were certainly going to be interesting. If only Usagi knew.

An: Kay, I know that some of the events in this chapter went by REALLY quick. But I needed to get to the point. I really didn't feel like writing a chapter that went: "And she did this… and then this happened and then and then and then." And I'm sure you didn't want to read something like that. I hope you enjoyed it. And the next part is going to posted really soon.

Please review.


	8. Part Eight

AN: Okay. I revised the last sceen in the last chapter because it didn't follow what I had already written for this part. If you don't wanna go back and read it, basically all I did was take the part out where Becky convinced Damon about seeingif he wanted to take Usagi out on a date… so here's the nextpart hope you enjoy

"So who are we all going to meet tonight?" Usagi asked in the car on there way to the bar.

"Dan, John, Andrew (we call him Shorty), Damon, Jo and Lex is going to be there too. Plus some other people, but they're not any one important." Becky pulled around and parked. Both of the girls got out of the car and walked into the bar, "Oh hey! There's Damon and Jo now!" Becky pointed straight ahead to the bar.

And there he, surely, was; in all handsome glory. He was sitting on a bar stool talking to another girl. He was very nicely put together. He wore a long sleeve, black T. He had pushed the sleeves up to just below his elbows. On his lower half he wore a pair of casual slacks. His gorgeous black hair was full and fine and layered. Shorter in the front and top layers and long in the back and bottom layers, so that it almost reached his shoulders. His eyebrows were dark and masculine, and weren't too thick, so they didn't crowd his smooth, blemish free face. His lips fit his face perfectly. They weren't too big or thick, too small or thin. They were prefect. And his dark luminescent eyes were also very proportionate to his face. It seemed his whole body was well-proportioned. His brood, muscular shoulders, went very well with his muscular arms. Usagi couldn't tell if he had a nice build to the rest of him., since the rest of him was hidden by clothing. She didn't even know if 'muscular' was the right word to describe him. I mean, he was muscular, just not overly muscular, so that he was bulgy. His build was just perfect. He was just perfect. Though, she figured, someone who looked like that had to be the most arrogant, conceited, self-centered person she would most probably meet in her life time. Perfect body, flawed personality.

"Please Damon?" Jo pleaded with her best friend since high school.

"I don't know, Jo. I mean, I just broke up with Cassandra two months ago—"

"That's the beauty of it!" Jo broke in. Damon cocked an eyebrow, "She just got out of a bad relationship herself," Jo continued, "So you already have something in common. And she's nothing like that skank Cassandra. Look, just talk to her tonight, take her out some place some time. Just be friends with her for now. And if you don't develop feeling for her, that's all you have to be. But don't mention that we're trying to set you two up. She may not go for it."

"But you can tell me?" Damon said in a flat voice.

"Yeah. It's her we're trying to help, not you."

"Oh! I see how it is! Did Becky put you up to this? If so I don't want anything to do with it. Remember the guys she's tried to hook you up with?"

"Well, it's different with girls. We're not as creepy. Will you at least give it a thought?"

Damon didn't have time to answer. Someone at the door caught his eye.

It was Becky and another girl, who, he could only assume, was Usagi.

She was breath-taking. Now, he had heard that word used before but he never truly appreciated it until now.

She had the most amazing mass of blonde hair he had ever seen. She had it neatly fixed into a pony in the middle of her head and it hung to the about the middle of her back,with a few locks here and there falling over her shoulders. Her dress wasn't too fancy, just a pair of well fitting jeans and a well fitted red tank top. On her feet were white runners and a small purse hung from her left shoulder. Nothing too fancy, but on her it was stunning. Speaking of stunning, Her ocean blue eyes dazzled him. Damon stood up slowly and walked over to greet them.

Usagi watched as Damon noticed them enter and come over to say hi. Whe he got close enough he greeted them with a smile, "Hello Becky. How are you? And you must be Usagi?" His voice was smooth, with a hint of a German accent behind it. Usagi heart fluttered. He extended his hand offering a hand shake, which Usagi accepted.

" 'Hello, Becky. How are you?' What kind of act are you playing?" Becky said raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not playing any act. I was simply asking how you were?"

Becky scoffed, "Yeah, alright. Whatever you say." She said as she walked by him and greeted her other friends.

Damon watched her go. He turned back to Usagi, "I'm sorry. I'm Damon," He smiled politely, "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine thank you. I don't drink." Usagi raised her hand, politely declining.

Damon smiled again, "Alright. Then how about just a pop."

It was Usagi's turn to smile, "Okay."

Damon stepped out of the way and motioned with his arm for Usagi to lead the way, he followed close behid and order what she wanted when they reached the bar. Damon had just offered her a seat when he saw John from across the bar waving him over.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but it looks like we're about to go on. But after the show I'd love to sit and talk with you."

"Sure. I'll be right here."

Damon smiled, "Okay. Don't go anywhere."

Usagi returned the smile, "I won't."

"Okay," and with that Damon headed for the stage.

Throughout the performance some guy was hitting on Usagi, despite her best efforts to get rid of him. So when Damon came back she politely said, "I think I may take you up on that drink."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "Oh? I thought you didn't drink."

"I didn't. At least not until him." She pointed in the direction of a middled aged man on the other end of the bar.

"What about him?" Damon asked confused.

"He's been hitting on me the whole time you were performing. No matter what I did he wouldn't leave me alone."

"I wouldn't worry about it, just ignore him. So what will you have?"

"I don't know. Order for me."

Damon caught the bartender's attention and ordered her a cranberry vodka, "So," he said turning his attetion back to Usagi, "Tell me about yourself. It doesn't seem like you're from around here."

By this time the middle-aged man had made his way over to them and began talking to Usagi again, "So? Are you going to come back home with me or not?" Usagi looked over to Damon, who's expression told her to just ignore him, so she said nothing.

"No comment, I see," The man continued, "I just know you'll love my huge hard cock, sliding up your hot wet pussy."

"Hey," Damon stood up, "I think that's enough. It's obvious she's not interested so why don't you just move on."

"I'm sorry," The man apologized, "I didn't realize she had a boyfriend."

"I'm not her boy friend," Damon began.

"Oh so your trying to get into her pants as well. Maybe we can double team her."

"No. I'm just a friend that cares. Now move on, or I will make you."

"Alright, alright! Geez, I'm sorry."

After the man left, Damon sat back down and turned his attentionback to Usagi, "Wow, Can you believe that guy?"

Usagi nodded, acknowledging Damon's statement. She held up her empty glass, "Could I get another one?"

"You're finished that already?" Damon shrugged, "Well, I can't say that blame you." Damon called the bartender over and order her another drink.

"So," Damon said, "We've sat here and talked about our favourite movies,music, songs and the like. But you still haven't told me about you."

"What are you talking about? I told you all about me." Usagi replied and then giggled for a bit.

"No. You told me what you like. Now tell me about Usagi. Where are you from? Your friends, your family."

"Okay, You wanna know about me?" Usagi montioned with her hand for him to come closer and then whispered, "I think I may be a little drunk." And she went off into a giggling episode again.

"Already? You've only had three," Damon watched her down another drink, "Okay, four."

"I told you. I don't drink." Giggles, "Can I have another one? These are SO good. They taste like candy. And guess what? I LOVE candy!"

Damon chuckled and shook his head, "Only if you promise to tell me about yourself."

"I promise. I pinky swear." Usagi held up her little finger, which Damon locked with his.

"Alright." Damon smiled and ordered her another.

"Okay, about me." Usagi said when she had her drink in hand. "I'm from Japan. I have a mother and a father and a younger brother. No pets. I have a few friends; all girls. And no boyfriend."

"No? I thought you would."

Usagi scoffed, "Well, I did. But he was an asshole. That's why I'm here. To get a way from him."

"He didn't abuse you did he?"

"NO. God no nothing like that."

"Good, 'cause then I'd have to kick his ass. So tell me more. Where do you go to school? What are you studying?"

"I go to school with Becky and Alexis. And I'm study to become an acohol and drug conselor."

"Ah. Giving advice to addicts. Help them with their problems. A very noble career."

Usagi scoffed, "Yeah I got some advice for them. STOP IT!" That statement sent Usagi into rifts of laughter, "So, tell me about you." She said when she finally settled down.

"Well," Damon began; rubbing the bottom of his chin in his fist, "I was born and raised in a small village in Germany. You know, the kind where everyone in a three block radious knew each other. After my parents divorce I moved here with my mom and my older brother when I was 14. I'm 24 now, and a pisces. I live with my best friend Jo, who is over there I believe. And I'm in school right now studying to become a doctor."

Usagi's face went dead-pan, "A what?"

"A doctor. Well, a surgeon actually. But you've got to become a doctor fist."

Usagi glared at Damon, "Did I mention that I HATE doctor's?

Damon chuckled, "Not many people don't. I know I hate mine. But I've gotta do something with my life. My mom's a nurse and seeing her working in the emergency ward at the hospital, made me want to do it. Only on a greater scale. I wanna be one of those guys that does surgery when a patient who has just been rushed in needs it. So I guess I'll be saving lives."

Usagi shook her head, "I still hate them. My Ex wanted to be one."

"Ah. So the truth comes out. You don't hate doctors, you just hate them because they remind you of him. You hate anything that reminds you of him."

"Don't pretend you know me."

"I'm not. I've just been through break ups too. And I know what it's like to have your heart ripped out and put through a blender."

Usagi scoffed, "You're a guy. No you don't. You're the ones that do the blending."

"Yes. I do. First you feel angry, then all you want to do is cry, then you feel that what ever went wrong is totally your fault, even though it wasn't. And that's when the questions start to come up. 'could I have done this differently?' 'what if I was straining the relationship?' 'What if I had only?' so on and so on. Then you can't seem to get them out of your mind. Even when you think that you've gotten over them. You'll see something somewhere that reminds you of them. And the harder you try to get them out of your head, the longer they're there. And soon you feel like nothing you ever do is good enough. And that's when you don't want to get out of bed in the morning. And it seems like the pain will never go away. And the end is nowhere in sight."

Usagi never took her eyes off of Damon while he spoke. Her eyes glazed over with tears, "Yes," She swallowed, "that's exactly what it's like.Exactly." She looked down at the bar for a second, "How did you get over it?"

Damon smiled, "I didn't. But I just remember that everything happens for a reason. Everything happens that was meant to happen. There's nothing you or I could have done to save those relationships. They weren't meant to be. Those people were only supossed to be in our lives for that period of time, however long it was. And even though it hurts like hell, it'll pass and we'll be stronger because of it."

Usagi's tears spilt over, "I don't think it'll ever pass." She leaned forward into Damon's arms.

Damon held her for awhile; comforting her, "It will. I promise, it will."

AN: OMG! I nearly pulled out all my hair looking for this freakin' chapter! For some reason i always forget what disk i save it on and then when i need it to complete the chapter I can never find it! And it was driving me crazy! I hope I have better luck the the next one. Maybe if i save it on my desktop, i won't lose it. Cuz it's right there in front of my face. Meh, shrug knowing me i'll lose it again and not see it there... Anywho... hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to review


	9. Part Nine

AN: well, here you go. The next chapter I hope you lik it as much as the previous one. And to answer someone question: "Why Drugs?" This story was inspired by an Avril Lavigne song called "Too Much To Ask" (hence the title of the story) and it's about a guy who leaves her from drugs, pot specificly. But I wanted to do something a little more serious than just pot, which is why I chose Cocaine. So, yeah. That's why drugs

Usagi rushed around the apartment franticlly. She spent the last hour coming in and out of the bathroom and her bedroom, going through her entire closet and dresser.

"Usagi?" Becky said when she came home to a frantic Usagi, "What are you doing?"

"There's nothing. I have nothing to wear," She rushed into the bathroom and started fussing with her hair, "Should I wear my hair up or down?"

Becky furrowed her brow and follwed Usagi into the bathroom, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the arcade." Usagi Relied, still messing with her hair.

"You're worried about what you look like there? Wait, Who are you going with?"

Usagi flet her cheeks get hot, "No one important."

"No on important, eh? Then why are you blushing and panicky about what you should wear? Come on, who are you going with?"

"Just a friend." Usagu relpied, being vague on purpose.

"I'll find out. You know I will. Let's see you going out to the arcade. But you're worried about what you look like. So it's obviously a guy. Hmmmm. Is it Andrew?"

Usagi made a face and shook her head, "I'm not telling you who it is."

"Let's see," Beckycontinued, tapping her chin with a finger, "Who were you talking to and getting along with well last?" Becky's eyes widened and she gasped, "It's not Damon is it?"

Usagi blushed and looked down.

Becky laughed, "it is too! Haha. So you have a date with Damon."

"It's not a date. We're just hanging out. And he knows that. I already explained to him AND you, that I'm not ready for another relationship yet. We're just friends."

"So... If you'er just friends and you're just hanging out, then why are you so worried about what you look like?"

Usagi sighed and lowered her hands from her hair, "You're right. I shouldn't be. Who cares." Usagi left the bathroom and headed for her bedroom where she put on a pair of jeans and a simple tee. She then headed back to the bathroom and put her hair up in a simple ponytail. Just then the phone rang, Becky handed it over to Usagi after answering it, "Who is it?" Usagi asked puzzeled.

Becky shrugged, "Dunno. He just asked or you."

Usagi frowned as she took the phone, "Hello?"

"Usako?" A frightenly familliar voice rang through the other end.

"Mamoru?" Usagi's heart stopped. She couldn't breathe, "What do you want?" She said in Japanese, "And how did you get this number?" She was furious.

"I have my sources. So how are you?" Mamoru went on cheerfully.

"I'm fine."

"That's good." There was a long pause and then he added, "I miss you. When are you coming home?"

Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing, "I'm not. I'm staying here for as long as I like. I'm going to school here, and I've made a new life for myself here. I'm happy here."

"But I miss you. I can't wait to see you again."

"Mamoru! Were you not listening when I broke up with you? It's over! Don't call me anymore. And don't attempt to come to see me either." Usagi slammed the phone down and galered at it intently.

"No matter how hard you stare at it, it's not going to burst into flames." A male voice said behind her.

She turned and saw Damon at the door, "Oh, hi."

They stood and stared at each other for awhile, "So, ah," Damon broke the silence, "Shall we go?"

Usagi shook her head to clear it, "Right. Yes. Let's go." She grabbed her pruse and they headed out the door.

They had been driving for a bit before either of them talked, "Are you alright?" Damon began, "You look kinda flustered. Who was that on the phone?" There was no answer, "It okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want. But I am here if you ever need to talk," Damon took his eyes off the road for a second and looked at Usagi with sincerity in his eyes, "About anything."

Usagi sighed, "It was my ex."

Damon furrowed his bow in thought, "You seem afraid of him. What happened between you two?"

"I'm not afraid of him. I'm afraid of the feeling I still have for him. The relationship was going nowehere. He decided there were more important things in life than me. So I ended it. I didn't want to be his second priority. Not compared to what he chose as his first anyway. He didn't have time for me anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Damon said as he pulled into a parking space, put the car in park and took the keys from the ignition, "He should have treated you better."

Usagi shrugged, "Maybe."

Damon looked at her intently, "You really have no idea how beautiful and worth while you are, do you?"

Usagi looked up at him, "But I'm not. Not really." She mubbled and looked back down at her lap.

"Yes, yes you are. Listen, I don't know what that other scumbag chose over you, but he was an idiot. If he couldn't see how lucky he was to have you in his life, let alone as his girlfriend, then he didn't deserve you. And you, you deserve much better than that. You deserve someone who will treat you like the precious gem that you are." There was a bit of a pause. Damon shrugged and frowned momentaryily and then said, "Ok, the percious gem part was a little corny, but you know what I mean."

Usagi laughed, and then nodded.

"So," Damon continued, "Let's get this date going."

Usagi looked up, "Who said anything about this beng a date? We're just hanging out." Usagi smiled.

"I never said this was a date." Damon retorted.

"You just did."

"I did?" He said as they both got out of the truck.

Usagi nodded.

"Huh. Imagine that. I don't think I did."

"You did."

Damon shrugged, "I'm sorry. Let the games begin. Is that better?" He asked as the walked into the arcade.

Usagi nodded, "Much."

After hours and hours of playing this game and that and Damon a huge stuffed bunny for Usagi with all his tickets he collected, they headed out for dinner.Damon had to fight to get Usagi to let him pay for the whole evening.

"It was my treat," He said, "And I'm not accepting your money so put it away. Besides, loser pays. And since you kicked my a—" Just then his cell phone rang. He made a face and checked the display, "Just a sec." He lifted the phone to his ear and began speaking German to the person on the other line, "Hallo, Mamma." He began and had a brief two-minute conversation. But, wow, she could sit and listen to that all day. She didn't know why, but the German language fascinated her. She loved the sound of it. Which was odd, because not many people do. She's heard it been describe as such an unpleasant language. But she liked the way it sounded, maybe it was just they way he spoke it. But eventually, the conversation ended, "Ja Mamma. Ich verspreche. Gut. Ich liebe Dich. Tschuess." He hung up and put his cell phone away, "Sorry about that. Just my mom checking up on me. As she always does… four times a day. Sometimes five." He chuckled, "So anyway where were we?"

Usagi smiled, "You were admitting to how badly I kicked your ass."

Damon chuckled, "Yes, well. It's getting late and I should drive you home."

Usagi frowned, "It's only 11."

"I know, but I promised my mom I'd get you home at a decent hour. And that's just what I plan to do." He turned the key, put his pick-up into gear, and headed out of the parking lot. Which moments later, he drove into the parking lot of Usagi's building and put it into park once again.

Usagi turned to Damon, "Well, Tonight's date was really fun. Thank you. I had a good time." Damon grinned from ear to ear, "What? What's that look for?"

Damon laughed, "I thought you said that it wasn't a date?"

Usagi blushed, "Well, I…"

"Well, you?"

"It was…."

"It was?"

"I…"

"You?"

Usagi blushed and giggled, "Shut up. You're not helping." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Damon chuckled, "You're so funny." He smiled at her. Damon sat and smiled at her for a while. Usagi just blushed and stared at her lap. Damon saw this as an opportunity. He lifted her chin slightly and leaned toward her. Usagi realizing what he was doing let out a yelp and did a full body jump as far back as possible. Damon who was still in mid-lean; smiled, chuckled, and said, "Well, I don't think I've ever had that reaction before."

Usagi, who now peeling herself of the inside of the door, blushed, "I'm sorry. I just… I'm not… I'm not past my last relationship yet. And well, I just met you. Though you have proven to me twice that you care and possibly will be a good friend who will be there for me in the future if needed. But….. I'm just not ready to do this yet. It's too soon."

Damon nodded and looked lovingly into her eyes, "I understand."

"I'm sorry if I bruised you're ego, or embarrassed you somehow."

Damon smiled at her, "That's one thing you'll learn about me, I don't get embarrassed. I understand where you're coming from. Don't worry about it."

Usagi nodded and looked back down at her lap. She felt awkward now. Like she should say something else. She was about to, when she realized Damon was moving in again. And this time she didn't try to stop him. Their lips finally touched and it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. His kiss was soft, tender, and caring. It made her head spin and she never wanted it to end. This was ecstasy as intense as she had ever known it to be.


	10. Part Ten

The next mourning Usagi woke up in a haze. She thought about the before. She really didn't know what to think about it. She had an awesome time, it was just the kiss. He felt like she betrayed herself. She knew she wasn't ready for another relationship just yet, so why did she allow him to kiss her like that? But it was just a kiss, right? It was like he was asking for a relationship... or was he? She knew the kiss wasn't saying; 'Thanks for great night. I had fun, let's do it again sometime.' It wasn't that kind of kiss.

No, he wasn't asking for a relationship. He couldn't be. He knew she wasn't ready for another one yet. She had told him so many times. They were just friends. So then why couldn't she get him out of her head? Why was he always there? Maybe it's because she had never known such kindness from some one she had just met. No one ever treated her this good. Not even Mamoru did. Not even before she found out he was on crack. So then what was the problem with getting into a relationship with Damon? Because I'm not ready, she reminded herself. Besides, for all she knew, he could be acting like this just to get what he wants and then he would act like the complete asshole he really was. And not to mention--

"Hey," Becky had walked into the room, "There's someone at the door for you."

"Can I ask you something? You've known Damon for awhile right?"

"Since high school."

"What is he like? I mean is he a decent guy or is he an asshole?"

Becky cocked an eyebrow, "You spend all last night with him. Shouldn't you know what he's like by now?"

"I just need to know that he's not putting on an act."

Becky sat down on the bed, "Listen, Damon never acts like anything but what and who he is. With Damon what you see is what you get. Why? Is everything okay?"

Usagi nodded, "Yeah, I just needed to know."

"I see. Anyway, "Becky pointed out the door, "There's someone waiting for you at the door."

"Oh right, I forgot." Usagi, knowing that it was probably Alexis or one of her other girlfriends, didn't even bother changing or brushing her hair and stumbled to the front door. She was mortified when she saw who was waiting for her: a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Well, at least now I've seen you at your worst." Damon grinned.

"Are you saying that I look that bad?" Usagi asked still wide eyed at the shock of seeing him.

"No. But I've seen when you're all done up. When you're just casual. When you're really drunk and when you're crying. and now I've seen you first thing after you wake up. Somewhere in there I'm pretty is your worst. I've seen all sides of you... More or less."

"You think so?" Usagi challenged.

Damon smiled, "I know so. Now get dressed. I'm taking you out for breakfast."

"What?"

"Hurry up. I'm giving you 10 minutes and if you not ready by then I'm taking you as are. So you better hope that you've at least go pants on." Usagi's eyes widened again. "GO! You've already wasted 30 seconds."

Damon had found a small family run pancake house, that he had decided to take Usagi to. Which she was thrilled about going.

"So," Damon began after they had orders, "Reason I brought you out was to apologize."

Usagi furrowed her brow, "Apologize? For what?"

"Last night; when I kissed you."

Usagi's eyevrows shot up, "You're apologizing for a kiss?"

Damon nodded, "Yes. I tried once and yo said no. Yet I did it anyway. And for that I apologize."

"You don't have to. It's okay, really."

Damon shook his head, "No, it's not. I stepped over my boundaries. Will you accept my apology or not?"

"Yes, but I don't think it's necessary."

"It is. Don't argue. Now, what do you want to do after we eat?"

He was apologizing for a kiss? She couldn't believe it. Though he did have a point, she did say no. Was this guy for real? No one had ever made her as important as he did. But still...

"What's the catch?"

Damon frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've just met you and so far you've always been there to talk to when I need to. You take me place that are my choice and now you're apologizing for a kiss? What's the catch?"

Damon leaned closer to her across the table, "Usagi. There's no catch. I know you've been hurt and are cautious when entering another relationship, with good reason. But understand that this is the way I am. I was taught from an early age to respect everyone and to be a good friend. Also, watching the way my father treated my mother, I promised myself that I wouldn't be like him and I would treat my girlfriends like gold, the way they deserve to be treated. (Unless of course they prove that they don't deserve it, and then they're nothing longer my girlfriends.) So with me; there's no strings attached. Do I think you're beautiful? Yes. Do I want to be your boyfriend? Yes. Do I want to get you into bed? Hell, yes, "Usagi's eyes widened, "Am I will to only be your friend until you decide that you want another relationship and are ready? Definitely. Of course when you are ready for another relationship, I hope you have me in mind," he smiled, "But as far as there being a catch, you don't have to worry about that. The more you get to know me, the more you will come to realize that I'm very honest and up front. I don't lie; it's too much work and creates too much stress. Besides, I could never lie to someone like you," Usagi blushed and looked down at the table, "Which brings me to my next question," Damon continued, "You act like this is the first time anyone has treated you like this."

Usagi nodded, "It is."

"Really? How did the other fuck head treat you?"

Usagi wanted to laugh at Mamoru's new nickname, but fought the urge, "He wasn't all that bad up until the end. But he never gave me the choice of what to do. We always had to agree on what we did. The only time is got my choice was on my birthday."

"Why wouldn't he give you the choice?"

Usagi shrugged, "I just he didn't want to be bored doing things he didn't want to do."

Damon frowned, "How can anyone bored when they're with you? No matter what they're doing? Speaking of which, you never answered my previous question: What do you want to do after we eat?"

Usagi shrugged, "I don't know. The mall?"

Damon smiled, "I'm down for that. Now what I'm about to say could possibly contradict everything we just talked about, but I was thinking that we could go to this great German restaurant Is know of for lunch. Only if you want to though."

Usagi grinned mischievously, "Okay. But only if we go for Japanese sometime."

"Sure," Damon nodded his head once, "We can do that later tonight. We'll go for dinner. Sound like a plan?"

"It certainly does."

Usagi played with her hair as she looked in the mirror. Several weeks had passed since Damon apologized for the kiss. Since then he hadn't tried to kiss her again. Except for one time, but he caught himself and pulled away. She had wished, however that he would make a move on her soon, she knew she would never be able to take the first step. But was she ready for another relationship? She was as ready as she was going to be. But that night was one of the funest night she had shared with him. The Japanese dinner was an experience. They had found a traditional Japanese restaurant. Which meant that they had a small private dinning area where they had to take off their shoes before entering. They had a low square dinning table they knelt at. Thought it was hallowed out under the table so people who couldn't kneel, could sit as if on a chair. Damon was soon using that. He admitted that this was his first time eating Japanese, so he trusted Usagi to order for him. He was like a deer caught in the head lights with fascination when the server and Usagi spoke to each other in Japanese. When it came time to use the chopsticks it was an experience for Damon and hilarious for Usagi to watch him struggle with them. She suggested that he ask for a fork, but he insisted on using the chopsticks.

But now Usagi stood in front of the mirror doing her hair and make-up. She was getting ready to go to the bar where Damon's band was playing. Becky was sitting on the edge of the bath tub, her feet in the water, shaving her legs.

"So," Becky began," What's up with you and Damon?"

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked while applying eyeliner.

"Come on. You know what I mean. You guys are in love with each other. Are you dating yet?"

"No and we are not. We're just friends."

"Then why," Becky twisted around to face her friend, "is it that Damon can never take his eyes of you when you're together? Why is it that you get all giddy whenever just his name is mentioned?"

"I do not! I'm not now."

"Oh Yeah? Damon!"

Usagi tried to fight back a grin and a giggle, but to no avail.

"See? You're totally in love with this guy. So why aren't you two together yet?"

Usagi blushed and was still trying to hide her smile, "I don't know," She sighed, "I don't know if I'm ready to get back on the saddle again. I mean, I'm not over Mamoru completely yet."

"Oh please. Usagi no one gets over their first love completely. If you really loved them then you'll never stop. So if you're waiting until you feel nothing for this guy, you're going to be waiting a long time. But your heart is ready to move on, if it wasn't you wouldn't have fallen in love with Damon."

Usagi knew Becky was right. But what if I get hurt again?

"Come on," Becky said softly, "Take a chance."

Becky and Usagi met everyone at the bar. Damon had yet to arrive, so she had a couple drinks while she waited. Waiting for him felt like eternity. Finally, Damon and the rest of his band walked in. Damon's eye lit up when he saw Usagi walking towards him to greet him.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Usagi asked. He nodded and followed her into the V.I.P. room that Damon always got when he performed.

"What's up? Is everything okay?" Damon asked as soon as the door was closed.

She didn't answer him. Instead she walked over to him and kissed him full on the mouth. She pulled away and looked up at him. It took Damon a few seconds to recover from the shock, but soon he was look tenderly in her eyes, and finally he moved in for another kiss. A slower, softer, more passionate kiss. As he pulled away he gently bit her bottom lip which caused her to sigh with pleasure. After Usagi recovered from that last kiss, she looked Damon in the eyes and said, "Are you still interested in being my boyfriend?"

Damon raised his eyebrows. It was one surprise after another, not that he was complaining, "Are you serious?"

Usagi shook her head, "No, I got really drunk before you got here and I'm teasing you. Yes! I'm serious!"

Damon smiled and kissed her again. This time more aggressively. The kiss caused Usagi to fall back against the wall. Damon who had his hands on her waist, moved them to her lower back and pulled her closer to him so that their bodies lay flat against each other. Usagi pulled away and gasped when he did this. He moved over to her earlobe and began to play with it with his tongue. She gasped and tightened her grip around his shoulder and the back of his neck. Damon picked Usagi up and carried her over to the couch. He laid her down and followed, laying slightly on top of her. He continued to kiss her neck the part of her chest that was exposed by her low V-neck tank. Usagi began to moan in pleasure. She ran her fingers through hair and caressed his back with her other hand. Damon was now entirely on top of her and he let hi right hand slide down her side until he reached her outer thigh, he let his other hand play with her hair. She moved her hand up from his back to the side of his neck where she traced her fingers. The sensation sent rifts of pleasure through him causing him to ride his crotch up in hers. She felt him hard against her warmth. He slide his right hand under the small of her back He stopped his gentle kisses and looked down at her. He smiled, kissed the tip of her nose and then her again. This time he gently forced his tongue into her mouth. He pulled away and looked down at her, breathing heavy, "You have no idea how much I want you right now," He kissed her again short and sweet. She was about to say something when there was a knock at the door, "Damon?" John's voice came from the other side, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we're on in five."

Damon heaved a sigh, "Alright. I'll be right there." Damon sat up and run his hands through his hair in frustration, "God damn it, "He mumbled under his breath. He turned to Usagi, "I'm gonna have to take a rain check. Sorry." He kissed her gently.

Usagi smiled and rubbed his back, "It's okay. Go do your show."

They left room and parted ways. Damon went to get his guitar and then to the stage, Usagi headed straight for the bar where she order 2 shots of tequila and sucked them both back and order another.

She couldn't believe what just happened. Although she enjoyed every minute of pleasure he had given her. He had expressed he wanted to do more than just lying there kissing each other. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do that, and she was beginning to believe that he only wanted to be in a relationship with her just to have sex with her. It sounded that way anyway. As soon as she agreed to be in a relationship with him, he moved in for the kill. She felt like shit. She couldn't stay here anymore, she was drinking herself to death and right now she couldn't stand listening to his music. She got up and stumbled to the door. Suddenly she knew she was falling. The last thing she heard before she hit the ground was the music stopping abruptly, Damon shouting something couldn't understand and then silence.

Well, that's it for part 10. Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review.


	11. Part Eleven

Usagi woke up the next day in a strange room. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she was lying in the middle of a queen-sized bed, which was in the middle of a huge master bedroom. She also discovered that she wasn't wearing what she had worn to the bar the previous night. Where was she? What day was it? What time was it? 1:00 pm, she noted after finding the digital clock on the night stand. She started to panic a bit, which wasn't help her physical situation any. She felt like shit. Her head was pounding and she felt sick as all hell. The door opened and in walked Damon carrying a glass of red liquid.

"How you doin'?" He asked in a low, gentle voice.

"I feel like shit. In more ways than one."

"Here," he handed her the glass, "Drink this."

Usagi eyed the glass suspiciously, "What is it?"

"Vodka and cranberry. Believe it or not, it'll help you feel better."

Usagi shook her head, "No. No more alcohol. Ever."

Damon chuckled, "We all say that and it never works out that way."

"No, I mean it. I can't believe I tried to drink my troubles away." Usagi chuckled sadly, "I just did exactly what I got angry at Mamoru for doing. I'm such a hypocrite."

"Mamoru? Your ex?" Usagi nodded, "Did he drink?"

"No," Usagi lay back down, "He was addicted to cocaine. He started because he was trying to escape from his problems. And I did the same thing last night, I was drinking to run away from my problems."

Damon furrowed his brow, "What problems? You seemed fine last night when I spoke to you."

"That was before I realized that you just wanted to get in my pants."

"Why would you think that?" Damon asked obviously offended.

"Why would I? I tell you that I want to go out with you, and you move in for the kill. And now I'm wearing a pair of PJ's I don't even recognize."

"I'm sorry if you saw it that way. I was just really happy that you asked me out. I would have stopped anytime you wanted me to. As for the PJ's, you put those on yourself, don't you remember?"

"No."

"Well, you were pretty drunk." Damon sat beside Usagi on the bed and rubbed her shoulder gently.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you in anyway last night. That's the last thing I would want to do. I want you to always be happy so I can see that beautiful smile of yours." He kissed her forehead, then stood up and made his way over to his dresser, where he picked up a pack of cigarettes, out of which he pulled one and lit. He took a drag and inhaled deeply.

Usagi rolled her eyes, "You smoke?"

Damon nodded, "You don't mind, do you?"

"Whatever, it's your house. I just find it funny that the two people that I've known to be studying to become doctors did something incredibly stupid when it came to their health. You with the smoking and Mamoru with the drugs."

"Are you sure this doesn't bother you?"

"I _don__'t _care. It's your addiction."

Sensing something was wrong, Damon put out his cigarette and sat back down beside Usagi.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." Usagi sulked.

"No. There's something wrong and you're going to tell me. So start talking."

Usagi heaved a sigh, "I just hate addictions, that's all."

"Does it have anything to do with your ex?"

Usagi exhaled slowly, "He O.D'ed once and ended up in the hospital. I'm the one that found him and called an ambulance. We talked things over and I gave him the choice between myself and the drug. He cleaned up and everything was fine for awhile and then I walked in on him using again. So that's why I moved here. Just being in the same country as him hurt too much."

"That jackass choose drugs over you? What an idiot. Though I suppose I should thank him. If it wasn't for him, you never would have moved here and I never would have met you." Damon smoothed his thumb over Usagi's cheek. He wanted to kiss her but wasn't sure if he should. Then he got an idea. He walked over to his dresser and threw the full pack of cigarettes in the trash. Usagi watched in amazement.

"In fact," Damon said as he fished them back out, "I'll do you one better." He opened the pack and began to break each cigarette in half one by one and tossed them back in the garbage.

Damon looked down at this trash can and immediately regretted his decision. This was going to be really hard, but he had to do it for her.

A week had past since Damon had quit. He now sat at the kitchen table staring intently into a mug of coffee in his hands.

"You know, if you leaned anymore over that cup you'll be swimming in it." Jo teased as she came into the kitchen and saw her best friend hunched over his coffee.

Damon inhaled the coffee and set the cup back on the table. The timer for a pot went off and Damon jumped up and raced for it. Jo, who was standing at the counter, reached for it and took hold of it the same time Damon did.

"Back off," Damon snarled between his teeth, "Make your own."

Jo took her hand off the handle and frowned, "What's up with you? You never drink coffee and now you're drinking a whole pot?"

"Three."

"What?" Jo asked confused.

"This is my third one."

"You've had three since you woke up?"

"Oh ok," Damon said pouring himself another cup, "Five. I was only talking about the last hour."

"You've had five pots since you woke up?"

Damon nodded, "One for every cigarette I usually have."

"And why haven't you had them?"

"I quit."

"You quit?"

Damon nodded, "Usagi didn't like it, so I quit." Damon began to cry, "I broke every one I had left in half. They're all gone. No more. They didn't even get to live the life they were supposed to. Oh god! It hurts too much to think of it." He slammed his head down on the table and whined pitifully like a kicked puppy. "Gone! Gone forever. Bye bye! Gone, no more…" His voice trailed off.

Jo cocked an eyebrow. Just then there was a knock at the door. Jo went to answer it. It was Usagi.

"Hey, Usagi Come on in. Though I don't think you want to see Damon right now."

"Why?" Usagi asked slowly.

Just then, Damon came running from around the corner. He picked up Usagi and spun her around, "USAGI! I'm so happy to see you." He put her back down but kept her in a hug. "I missed you so much." He squeezed her tight, like his favourite teddy bear, when he said the word 'so'

"That's why," Jo stated, "He's been drinking a little too much coffee."

"Oh I see," Usagi said as she struggled to get out of Damon's death grip and breathe at the same time.

"So?" Damon said finally letting her go, "Where do you want to go? We could go to the arcade, or go-karting, or wait... I know! Let's go dancing! Yay! Dancing! I like dancing. Do you like to dance? I like to dance, and I have to pee." With that Damon ran off to the washroom.

"Quick now is your chance to escape!" Jo teased, "Go! While you still have time!"

Usagi was still trying to recover from what just happened, "Why is he drinking coffee? And how much has he had?"

"Only five pots. And it's because he quit smoking."

"Only! Five pots!"

"Come with me. We'll pour the fifth one down the sink while he's in there." Usagi and Jo headed to the kitchen where they were greeted by an empty pot of coffee, "He drank the entire thing in however long it took me to answer the door!" Jo said astonished, "This thing was full when I left."

Usagi looked at Jo, "I think we need to have an intervention."

"I think you're right," they both sat down at the table. Soon after Damon came in from the washroom.

"Well, I just had one of those minute and half pisses. I didn't think it was ever going to end! So let's go dancing."

"No," Usagi said, "What you need to do is have a glass of water." She got up and got him a glass of water, which he sucked back like nothing.

"Okay, let's go."

"First of all; the clubs aren't open yet and won't be for another ten hours and second of all; you need to calm down and drink more water." Usagi handed him another glass, which he sucked back like nothing.

"Okay, let's go."

"First of all, the clubs aren't open yet and won't be for another ten hours and second of all you need to come down and drink more water." Usagi handed him another glass. Damon drank that one like there was no tomorrow as well.

"Okay, let's go." Usagi sighed and forced him into a chair at the table, "Whoa! Hey! Being a little rough aren't we?"

"Well, I have to be."

Damon winked at her, "That's okay. I like it rough."

"It's true he does." Jo agreed.

Usagi covered her ears, "Okay! I don't wanna hear this stuff! And how would you know!"

"Didn't he tell you?" Jo inquired, "We dated for 2 years in high school. We were each other's first."

"First relationship?" Usagi asked innocently.

"No, first lay." Damon grinned and winked at Jo.

"Okay. I don't wanna hear this stuff." Usagi repeated.

Jo furrowed her brow, "You act like you've never had sex before."

"I haven't!" Usagi shot back.

Damon sat back in his chair, "You haven't? I never knew that?"

"It never came up in conversation and you never asked." Usagi answered.

"Well, now I feel like even more of an ass about what happened a week ago."

"Good! You should!" Usagi retorted and giggled.

Damon furrowed his brow and looked about confused, "That wasn't the answer I was expecting."

Usagi stuck out her tongue, "I know."

"Hey, now. Don't stick that out unless you plan on using it." Damon grinned from ear to ear.

"That's dirty!" Usagi shouted.

Still grinning Damon said, "I know."

"You're gross!"

Damon got up and reached across the table. Jokingly he leaned in for a kiss with his mouth wide open and tongue hanging out. Usagi not knowing what to do grabbed Damon's glass of water and through it at him. Damon stopped in his tracks, drenched in water, "That wasn't very nice." He said and sat back down.

"What would you do if some one came at you like a banshee?"

"Like a banshee?"

"I don't know. It sounded better in my head." Just then Usagi's cell phone rang. She picked it up and looked at the display. There was no name just the number. It was a Japanese number. It was Mamoru's number.

AN: So what you guys think? This was more or less just a silly Chapter, we needed the comic relief. Hope you liked it anyway. And thanx To Moon-Bunny for helping with this one much appreciated


	12. Part Twelve

Usagi stared down at her phone. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart fell to her stomach. Should she answer it? What would she say? She didn't want to cause a scene in front of Damon. Even though he wouldn't be able to understand her, he would know something was wrong.

Damon's voice broke into her thoughts, "Are you going to answer that?"

Usagi looked up at him and put her phone on the table, "If it's important they'll call back." The phone stopped ringing. Damon stood up, grabbed the phone and Usagi's hand and led her into his bedroom. He closed the door and faced Usagi, "It was him, wasn't it?" He handed the phone back to Usagi, who took it and slumped down on his bed, "No. I don't know who it was."

Damon walked closer to her, across his outrageously huge bedroom, "Usagi. Don't lie to me, please. I'm not an idiot. I know the look you get when it comes to anything that has to do with him."

Usagi looked down at her feet and heaved a sigh, "I'm sorry. I just… I just want to forget about him. And I can't get him out of my mind. The more I try not to think about him the more I find myself doing it. And I'm always wondering if---" Usagi broke off and looked up at Damon, who sat down beside her and rubbed her back gently.

"It's alright. You can tell me. I'm here to listen. Don't hold anything back." Damon assured her.

"But I don't want to say anything that will hurt you. Besides I already feel guilty for thinking some of the thoughts that I have."

"Well, don't. They're your feelings; you can't help the way you feel. You shouldn't feel guilty about something you can't control. And given I will probably hear something I don't want to. But it's obvious you need to talk to someone, so I'm here to listen and help you out anyway I can."

"But—"

"No, buts. You need to get this out or it will destroy you. Besides, who can you talk to if not me, your boyfriend?" I'm not just here for kisses and cuddles, you know."

Usagi chuckled. She knew he was right. "I just keep wondering if I made the right choice. When I found out he was using; I gave him a choice between me and the drugs. I stuck around and tried to help him get through it. And he was doing really well for several months, but then I walked in on him using again. And that's when I came here. I just… Should I have stayed and tried to help him more? Did I make the right decision?"

Usagi paused to think, eyes glazing over with tears.

"I think you did." Damon said breaking the silence, "You gave him a choice and you made good on your word. People like him (addicts I mean) need people to put their foot down. If you would have stayed, he would have seen that as you caving in. He would have thought 'hey! I got away with it this time. I used and she stayed. I can do it again and she won't leave me. I can have the best of both worlds.' And he would keep using and keep hurting you."

"I know that. I really do. But I don't understand why. I mean was not I not good enough for him?" Usagi began to sob a little, "I mean, do you have any idea how it feels to be second best especially up against something as stupid as crack? Am I so Inadequate? So inferior? I hate him so much for what he's doing to me. And yet why do I still miss him and why do I feel like it's all my fault? Like I'm the one that has done something wrong here; when I know I'm not."

Damon grabbed a couple of tissues from his night stand and dabbed her checks with them, "Because you still love him. And you probably wish there was something more you could have done, but there wasn't. And that's why the 'what-ifs' keep running through your mind."

"No, I don't! I---"

"Yes, you do. And it's okay to feel that way. I knew you did coming into this relationship. I believe I've told you this before: you can't expect to fall out of love with someone over night. And if you truly do love him, you never will."

Usagi lowered her head, her shoulders started moving. She was sobbing harder now, "But that's not all. I want---" sobs, "I want him back so bad." Usagi fell forward on Damon's chest. Damon lovingly wrapped his arms around her. His heart sank. He realized that there was a great possibly that she might go back to her ex. And he didn't know if he could let her do that. Not only because he didn't want to lose her, but for a number of other reasons as well.

"Are you going to act on that feeling?"

"I don't know. I mean it seems that no matter what I do, someone's going to get hurt."

"How so?"

"Well, you'll get hurt if I go back to him. And he and I will get hurt if I stay here because I miss him so much and I'm sure he feels the same."

"Well, you're right about one thing. I would get hurt if you left, I would eventually get over it. But this is a situation where you have to think about yourself and no one else. However, take into consideration that the hurt you're feeling right now will not last forever. It will soon fade. And if you go back to him you won't only be hurting me, you'll be hurting yourself as well: He'll continue to hurt you as a result from the drugs. But do what you feel you have to."

"But that's just it! I don't…. No, I do know what I have to do. But is it the right thing to do?"

"Well, what does your heart tell you?"

Usagi paused a moment, "That it _is _the right thing."

Damon closed his eyes and let out his breath slowly. He dreaded the answer to his next question, "And what is the right thing?"

Usagi slowly broke out of Damon's embrace. She looked up at Damon with tears in her eyes. She pressed her lips together, and took in a deep breath. She slowly let in out, looked down at her lap and then back up at Damon.

"To stay with you."

Damon let out a sigh of relief, "you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

Usagi shrugged, "I'm sure I could ball park it."

Damon smiled and embraced her again.

"I love you." The words came out before he could stop them.

Usagi stopped breathing for a moment, "What?" she sat up looked in his eyes, which never look more sincere then they did at that moment.

"You heard me. I know that it may seem a little sudden; given our relationship is only a few months old. But I can't help the way I feel. I understand if you can't say it back just yet. But, I don't know. When I'm not around you I feel empty. Like there's something missing. I never feel complete until I'm with you. I know that may sound a little cliché and really sappy but it's the truth. I don't know, call me a school boy with a cru---"

Usagi cut Damon off with a kiss that was soft and passionate. Damon dared bringing the kiss to the next level and made it even more passionate and fervent. He slid his hand up the side of her torso and, remembering her requests, didn't let his hands stray anywhere she wouldn't want them.

He gently laid her down on his gigantic king-sized bed and rolled over so Usagi was on top. He knew nothing would happen, but he wanted her to feeling control of the situation so she could stop what was happening at anytime. So there she lay almost on top of him, her left hand rest on his chest, left thigh resting on his left leg and her shin in between both his legs. Damon's right hand sat on his stomach and his left sat entwined in Usagi's hair where her neck met the back of her head. They lay there in bliss, passionately kissing, when Usagi did something that surprised them both: she moved her hand down and started to caress Damon's crotch. Damon pulled away from the kiss from both shock and the instant feeling of pleasure.

Damon raise and lowered his eyebrows, "Not that I want you to stop or that I'm complaining, because, "He chuckled, "I'm not. But, what are you doing?"

Usagi, who stopped what she was doing when Damon began speaking, shrugged, "I'm not sure. I think I'm just as surprised as you are. It just happened."

"Alright then."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. Of course not. I'm just confused as to where we go from here. I mean do we keep going the way we usually do, or do we take this to the next level?"

Usagi thought for a moment, "How about we keep going until I say stop?"

Damon smiled, "Sounds like a plan." And he pulled Usagi down for another kiss.

Usagi again moved her hand down Damon's crotch and began massaging it again. Once again Damon gasped and pulled away from the kiss and bit his bottom lip.

"What?" Usagi stopped what she was doing, "Are you okay? I mean, am I doing this right?"

"Yeah I am and yeah you are. That gasp was a good thing. And I'll be moaning and groaning a lot too, but don't worry it a good thing."

"Oh okay. Sorry I'm new to this."

"I can see that," Damon chuckled.

Damon pulled Usagi down again and again she reached down and massaged and yet again Damon pulled away. Usagi could feel it getting hard and wasn't quit sure what to do about it. Finally Damon had had just as much as he could take and moved her hand away and placed it on his chest.

"I though you should you liked what I was doing?" Usagi asked confused.

"I do. Maybe a little too much. You just have to be careful with how you play with it. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, at least right now anyway. When we get to the point where we're naked or at least I am then you can play with it all you want. Just when I still have my pants on, be careful with how you play." Damon winked at Usagi and then smiled, "but for now there's the rest of me you can massage and run your fingers over and what not."

"Like what?"

Damon sat up and removed his shirt and lay back down again, tossing the piece of clothing on the floor beside his bed. Usagi stared at his bare-chest. It was just as she imagined it to be the first night she saw him. He built but not too much. He had just the right amount of muscles. And it was smooth, not a trace of hair anywhere. She loved the way it felt: warm smooth and soft. She began to lightly run her hand over it and lightly touched one of his nipples with her finger tip by mistake.

Damon took a sharp breath in, "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, you seem to be finding all my sensitive spots just fine. I like it."

Usagi smiled and stole another deep and passionate kiss. Damon cautiously let his hands roam free now. Caressing the small of her back, moving up to her shoulders and up over them to her upper chest, before letting them find her left breast. He immediately loved the way they felt. They were perfect: round and soft yet firm and they fit perfectly in his hands. He reveled in it. He took a chance and rolled her over on to her back, so that now he was on top. He parted from the kiss and began to kiss the side and crook of her neck. He reached down and took the hem of her shirt in his hands and started to lift it over her head slowly, so she had plenty of time to stop him if she wanted to. She didn't though, so Damon placed her shirt on the floor with his and gazed down at her beautifully perfect breasts, which were still concealed in her bra. He reached down and undid the clasp in front, slid the straps off her shoulders and arm and place the bra on the floor. He then ran his hands over her breasts and rubbed her nipples with the tip of his thumbs. She breathed in deeply and let out a sigh. He smiled, he loved seeing the pleasure his partner was in, it was very arousing to him. He then starting kissing her all over the torso and licked her nipples occasionally. Each time his tongue brushed over her nipples he let out a gasp of pleasure. He began to undo the zipper of the jeans and slid them off of her. He next took of her underwear and dropped them on the pile of clothes on the floor. He was pleasantly surprise to see that she had shaved off all her hair completely. He didn't know why, but he liked it that way. He let his hand wonder down there; it was his turned to massage her in this area. As soon as his finger brushed against her clit, she took a sharp breath in and moaned. He smiled. He loved it: seeing her this way, so enthralled with passion and pleasure. He turned her around so that her ass was at the edge of the bed. This way he could get in between her legs better and kneel down on the floor. He began kissing her hips and the inside of her thighs and added the occasional gentle bite. Finally he made his way back to her crotch and began kissing and sucking. Usagi gripped the sheets as hard as she could. Holy hell this felt good. She never felt anything like it. Her head was swimming, her heart was thumping and her breath was rapid with the erratic moan here and there. Damon was revealing in every moment of this. God, she tasted good and the heat coming from her was mind-blowing. He brought his right hand up and slipped a finger inside her. Usagi gasped and moaned. Man she was tight. Damon could just imagine how good it would feel to be inside her. Yet, he knew it couldn't happen tonight. She was far too small and he didn't have any lubricant to help ease himself in. Without it, he knew it would be VERY painful for her, so he just kept pleasuring her the way he was.

"Damon?" Usagi said breathlessly.

Damon stopped and looked up at her, "Yeah? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… well… Do you have any protection?"

"I do, but I don't think it's a good idea to go any farther," Damon sat down on the bed beside her, "Unfortunately I don't have any lubricant and there's no way I'd fit in you without it. I mean without it being painful for you. So I will get some as soon as I can, and we'll continue some other time. But right now we can't go any farther so, if it's okay with you, I will continue doing what it was I was doing and next time we'll go the distance."

Usagi giggled, "'Go the distance'? Okay."

Damon smiled and went back to work.

Usagi was sitting in the cafeteria with Becky, finishing a paper, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Usagi turned around to see a big breasted brunette standing behind her.

"You." The brunette demanded.

"Can I help you?" Usagi asked confused.

"Yes, you can. You can stay away from Damon."

"Excuse me?" Usagi asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"He's mine, and I want you to leave him alone."

"Cassandra," Becky stood up, "Back the fuck off. Damon dumped your ass months ago. Get over it."

"This has nothing to do with you, Rebecca." Cassandra retorted.

"Fist of all, my name is Becky, not Rebecca. And second of all, this has plenty to do with me. Damon is my friend and what involves him involves me. Now fuck off before I make you."

Cassandra scoffed and stormed away.

"What was that about?" Usagi asked still trying to figure out what had just taken place.

Becky sat back down and shook her head, "that was Cassandra. The girlfriend before you. I think we've told you this. Anyway, what you don't know is that she cheated on Damon for several months with some guy. Damon found out that the other guy was John."

Usagi's jaw dropped, "But aren't they really good friends?"

Becky put her finger up, "That's the funny part. When Damon found out about John neither of them know who each other were, and John didn't even know Cassandra had another boyfriend. So in John's eyes she was cheating on him too. So they both walked in the cafeteria together and dumped her ass at the same time. Oh my god, Usagi! You should have seen her face when they walked in together. It was so funny. Yeah so, John and Damon have been great friends ever since."

Usagi started at her friend with a smirk, "That's hilarious! Does she act like this with John as well?"

"No. I think it's because of Damon's assets that she tries to get back with him."

Usagi furrowed her brow, "'assets'?"

"Yeah. You know, his 'assets'." Becky air quoted the word assets.

Usagi started blankly.

"Oh my god! You don't know. Haven't you guys, you know, had sex?"

Usagi's eyes widened, "No."

"Oh!" Becky paused, "Why?"

"Because we haven't."

"Have you ever had sex before? I mean, with anyone?"

Usagi shook her head, "Why is this so important to you?"

"Just answer the question."

"Ugh! No."

"What? Why?"

"Because it just never happened."

"So then how far have you Damon gone?"

"We've gone far enough. And that's all I'm going to tell you! Now excuse me, but I'm going to be late for class.

AN: So there you have it the next chap. I'm SOOOOOOOO sorry it took me so long to post, I've been VERY busy. Anyway, I'm starting on the next chapter right now. Anyway, review!


	13. Part Thirteen

Mamoru set the phone down, and sighed. Why wasn't she answering? Surely, she didn't mean to write him out of her life completely. This was, after all, just a phase she was going through. She didn't really intend on leaving him. She was just throwing a fit, as all girls do when they don't get their way. That's just what all of this was… wasn't it? It was too much to think on right now. It was late and he was tired. He'd talk to Motoki about it tomorrow.

"I don't think it's just a phase," Motoki said after Mamoru told him his concerns, "I mean, she did give you a chance and you blew it. And now it sounds like she's moved on."

"What do you mean 'move on'? Have you been talking to her? Has she found someone else? Who is it? Where is he?"

"Mamoru, calm down. That's not what I meant. What I meant was that she's had enough of the situation. My god you're so paranoid, see this is what those things are doing to you."

"Do you think she'll ever come back?"

"Sure. I mean her family's here. I doubt she'll live in Canada forever."

"No. I mean come back to me."

"Oh… well, you'd have to get clean before that happens."

"But I've tried before, it didn't work."

"Then maybe you need professional help."

"You mean go to a rehab center? No way, I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those."

"Then you may be found dead somewhere else. Look, I'm only telling you this because I'm your friend. Besides, how badly do you want her back?"

* * *

Usagi put her books back in her bag after the professor dismissed the class. Her mind was on the major paper that had just been assigned. How she hated homework. Oh well, she'd just get Damon to help her with it like she always did.

"Usagi?" Usagi's professor called her over. This could only mean one thing. She was in trouble. At least that's why her teachers back home always wanted to talk to her, though it didn't make much sense to make her stand out in the hallway after class. Usagi slowly walked over to her lady professor, "Usagi? Have you thought about an internship yet?"

Usagi shook her head, "No, I mean summer's still awhile away."

The professor smiled, "Yes, yes I know. But I was talking about now. There's a local rehab center that is desperately short on volunteers. And you're doing so remarkably well that I promised them I'd talk to you about doing an internship there. Not only will they hire you if they like what they see (which you already know) but you can get in some hours before summer, so you can have more time to do what you like when summer actually gets here."

"You mean the big center? The one on Lake Street and Russell Avenue? But it's so hard to get a job there, you're lucky if they even look at your resume. And you recommended me? But I'm not anybody special."

"That's the one. And yes you are. Usagi you come to class everyday, you have yet to miss a day and you're never late. I see the excitement and the desire to learn in your eyes. You're here to try to make the world a better place. And most likely to save someone because you couldn't save someone else, but still. This is a huge opportunity, Usagi, and you deserve it. So take it."

"But I'm just here on a visa. Even if I did get hired I couldn't take the job."

"We'll worry about that when it comes times. And even if you can't take it, it's a great experience and you'll have the skills you'll need when you do get hired."

"Okay. I'll do it."

* * *

"I've found a place to go." Mamoru said to Motoki as soon as he saw him.

"The place downtown?" Motoki asked.

"No. There's a place in Canada, in the city where's Usagi's staying. So I go get help AND be in the same city as her. Not only that, she'll see I'm making a real effort here and reconsider things. It's a fool proof plan."

"I don't think that's a good idea Mamoru. You may push her away even more than you have already. It's not like she's just going to forget everything that's happened and agree to go back to you. You're going to do more bad than good. Where as if you stay here and get the help you need and THEN go back to her and try to mend things, you may have a better chance than if you were to throw the proof in her face. Besides, there's no guarantee that you'll stay clean."

"But it's just like you said: It all depends on how much I want her back. Besides I've already paid for everything and I'm leaving in a week."

* * *

Usagi headed to the cafeteria to tell Damon the good news when she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed into a glare at the scene she saw before her. There Damon stood helplessly trying to pry a familiar Brunette off his arm and then suddenly she kissed him. Becky came up behind Usagi, "Hey. Ready for lunch?"

"Not quite. I'll be right back." Usagi watched Cassandra walk away from Damon and followed her. Usagi was not far behind when Cassandra sat down at a table with her friends. Usagi tapped Cassandra hard on the shoulder, "What the hell do you think you're doing with my boyfriend?"

Cassandra made a 'tsking' sound with her tongue, "Aw, honey. Don't you know? Damon and I are back together. I really didn't want to be the one to tell you, but it seems I have to be."

"Like hell you are."

"It's true. He told me that he didn't want to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't put out. So he came back to me."

Usagi eyes narrowed into a look of death and reached for the closest thing which, unfortunately for Cassandra, was a chocolate milkshake. Usagi dumped the contents of the cup on to Cassandra's new white satin blouse.

"You bitch! Do you know how expensive this top is?"

Usagi threw the cup away and stormed off, "not as expensive as the new dry-cleaning bill." Usagi shouted over her shoulder. In a fit of anger Cassandra got up and with a cry of rage tried to attack Usagi. Usagi, sensing an attack, turned at once and caught the punch headed for her face and twisting Cassandra's elbow behind her back, she pushed her down onto the table and bent down to her ear and whispered, "You do NOT want to fuck with me right now, believe me. And stay the fuck away from Damon!" Letting go of Cassandra's elbow she stood up straight and started to head out of the cafeteria, all the while wide staring eyes followed after her including Damon's. Damon hurried after Usagi, "Usagi! Hey, wait!" Usagi stopped and faced Damon with an obvious look of displeasure, "What was all of that about?"

Usagi crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Don't act like you don't know. I saw you guys kissing in there. You know, you really had me believing this act of yours. I don't how I could have been so stupid. Well, don't you think you've humiliated me enough? Go back to your little slut. After all, why would you want to stay with someone who doesn't, how did she say it? 'Put out'?"

Damon furrowed his brow intensely, "What are you talking about? She kissed me in there. I was trying to fend her off. And this is not act of mine; it's all an act of hers."

"If she's the one that acting then how in the hell did she know that we haven't had sex yet?"

Damon sighed, "I don't know. Believe me if I knew I'd tell you. Look I love you, very much, please don't let her lies come between us. Besides, if I didn't want to date you because of the sex situation, do you honestly think that I would have stopped it last time, because of the concerns I shared with you? No, I wouldn't have given a fuck and done it anyway," Damon lowered his voice so no one else would hear, "No matter how much it would have hurt you."

Usagi shuffled around where she stood, "I forgot about that."

"And do you think I would have been able to keep up this 'act' for eight months now? Look, I was going to wait until tonight to do this, but," He reached inside his bag, "It looks like you could use the reassurance." He stood up and dusted himself off and a little bit of the floor as well. "I've never done this before so bear with me," Clearing his throat, he got down on his knee and held up a small box; opening it he revealed a gold ring with a tiny diamond set in the center, "Marry me?" Usagi just stood there and stared. She didn't know what to say or to believe that this was actually happening. Damon's heart was racing; why wasn't she saying anything? "I realize that this isn't the ideal place for this," Damon continued. A group of people had started to crowd around them to watch this spectacle, "I mean, at school. But Usa---"

"Shut up!" Usagi interrupted and glared down at him. Damon's heart broke in two by Usagi's harsh tone; he had been so sure that she would say yes. Maybe after what happened in the cafeteria, not even this would help. Suddenly, Usagi reached down with her right hand, grabbed his collar and dragged him outside to the courtyard. She finally stopped when they reached a beach sitting beside an old maple tree. She turned around to face him and began fussing with her appearance. When she was finished fixing herself she said, "Ok. Ask me now."

Damon looked around confused, "What?"

"Do it. Ask me now."

Damon once again got down on his knee and held up the ring, "Usagi? Will you marry me?"

Usagi sighed and then nodded slowly, "Yes."

Damon smiled, stood up and placed the ring on her finger. Usagi grinned and sat down slowly on the beach never taking her eyes of the ring. Damon sighed and slumped down beside her, "Don't ever do something like that again. You had me second guessing myself and I was scared to death."

Usagi giggled, "But this kind of thing happens in Manga all the time and I wanted it to happen to me."

Damon turned his head and stared at her, Usagi stared back for a while before they both finally burst out laughing.

"The real reason was," Usagi began, "That you wanted it to be special and a school hallway doesn't cut it. Besides, I know that this is important to you as well."

Damon placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, "See, this is why I love you."

AN: Well, there hyou have it! The next chapter. I'm actually urprised with how fast I got it done. I know that the time line is a little messed up but I had to fast forward a few things make certain things work. Anyway, send me your reviews, and feedback and ideas and stuff

PS, thanx Rida for helping me out with the majority of this story. You're the bestest.


	14. Part Fourteen

Usagi and Damon were lying on the couch watching a movie. It was 10 am on a Tuesday, but neither of them had class till the afternoon. Damon had come by unexpectedly the night before after work, so they could spend the night and the next morning together. She couldn't believe he had done such a thing. Mamoru had never and would never do something like that for her, and the fact that Damon wasn't expected to made it all the more romantic. If he hadn't of come by that night they wouldn't have seen each other for another week or more. Both had mid-terms to study for and Damon's boss had him working like a dog.

Damon had passed out at Usagi's 3 hours after he had arrived because he had been so exhausted. But Usagi didn't mind, she snuggled up close to him when she went to bed and had stayed that way all night. She even woke up once in Damon's embrace.

They now lay on the couch together now watching a movie when the phone rang. Usagi paused the DVD and answered the phone, while Damon listened to 'Mm-Hmm's' and 'uh-huh's' and finally Usagi saying she'll think about it, thanking whoever was on the phone and hanging up.

"Who was that?" Damon inquired.

"The GM from Mind, Body and Soul."

"The rehab place?"

"Yeah. They want me to start an early internship there."

"Honey! That's great! But… what's there to think about?"

"Well, my Professor said that if they like me, they could hire me. But I'm only here on a student visa, I can't legally work in this country. So I'm wondering if it's worth it."

"Of course it is. Even if you can't work for them you'll gain a lot of experience."

"That's what my Professor said."

"Well, she's right. I mean, take me for instance. Do you think that they're just going to teach me how to operate by making me read books about it only and then giving me my first patient and hoping everything goes well? No, they make us student practice on cadavers first so we gain the experience we need before we go out into the work force."

"What are cadavers?"

"Dead bodies."

"Okay! That's enough. I'm sorry I asked."

"Anyway, it'll be good for you. You need to do this. And you're going to."

Usagi raised her eyebrows, "I am?"

"Yes, because I'm going to make you."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Because, if you don't. I'll break up with you."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"You'll put us BOTH through hell, if you did that."

"Well, it's up to you. Keep your boyfri--- fiancé and do something life changing. Or lose him and be stuck in the same rut your entire life?"

* * *

It was Usagi's third week on the 'job'. Her professor had gone ahead and recommended her for an internship and she received a call the following week. She was still reluctant to take the offer but thanks to Damon's skills of persuasion, she was here.

She was first put in the receptionist position so she could get to know the patients coming in and out and learn more about their different conditions. She was making some copies at the copy machine in the main foyer, beside the front desk, when two masculine arms came up from behind her and embraced her with love. Her first thought was _"Aw. Damon came to visit me."_ But she soon realized that they way she was being held wasn't the way Damon embraced her. These arms were familiar, but she couldn't place them. She decided to turn around, expecting to see John or Andrew with Damon grinning beside them at the prank they just pulled. Instead, she got the shock of a life time.

"Mamoru!" Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. He looked terrible. He was pale as ever and had lost a lot of weight. Too much weight. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her, "I've, uh, I've checked myself in here."

Usagi raised her brow, "What do you mean? You're saying you've come all the way to Canada to go to rehab?"

"And be closer to you." He lifted his hand and gently flipped a lock of her hair, "You, um, you cut your hair."

Usagi moved her hair behind her shoulder with a movement from her head, "Yeah, It was a long time coming. But don't change the subject."

"Well, then to get back on track. Why are you here?"

"I'm doing an internship here."

It was his turn to raise his brow, "An internship?"

"Yeah. I'm studying to become a drug and alcohol abuse counsellor."

"Really?"

"Yeah, figured maybe I could help some people. People who are willing to listen to me and take my advice. Some thing you couldn't do."

"Usako, I'm here now aren't I?"

"It's too little too late for that now. Now excuse me, I've got to get back to work." She began to walk away. She stopped and turned to face him one more time, "Oh. And the name's Usagi."

* * *

Usagi flopped down on her bed and heaved a sigh. Everything was going so well. She was within reach of achieving the life that she had imaged and wished for ever since she was a little girl. And then HE just had to show up and ruin everything. Moving here did prove to help her; she was so close to get over her second thoughts about leaving him. But now that he had reappeared she began to second guess herself again. Did she really love Damon? Were her feelings true? Or did she just tricking herself into thinking she felt this way about him, because she so desperately wanted to get over and move past Mamoru? She took a moment to figure out how she felt about Damon at this very moment. Nothing. She pictured his face, his smile, imagined his smooth German voice.

She just felt numb. Maybe she didn't love Damon after all. Maybe she-----

The phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey," It was Damon. She still felt nothing, even at the sound of his voice. "Listen, my mom invited us over for dinner, which is a surprise because she hates the girls I date. (It's an over protective mother thing.)"

What should she say? _'No, I can't because I realized that I don't love you'?_ What COULD she say?

"Thanks, but no. I'm a little under the weather right now. I really don't feel up to going anywhere. I just wanna change into my PJ's and crawl into bed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Okay, well you just rest. And I hope you feel better."

"Thanks." She hung up and proceeded to do exactly what she told him she was going to.

* * *

Damon hung up the phone. He walked into his mother's living room where she sat on her couch reading a book.

"Mama," Damon began in German, "Looks like we can't stay for dinner. Usagi's not feeling very well, so I'm going to head over to see if there's anything I can do for her."

Mama immediately stood up and waddled into the kitchen. Damon tried hard to keep from laughing. This act always made him think of a penguin. She was 5'2 and very plump, so when she walked quickly she couldn't help but waddle. She went into the fridge and began to pull out various items.

"Here," She handed Damon a container, "Give this to her, and this." Another container was thrust into Damon's arms. Damon inspected the contents.

"Mama, Hasenpfeffer and Zwiebelkuchen? I don't know if she'll like this. She's not used to German food; you have to ease her into it."

Mama looked at her son bewildered, "Nonsense! Everybody LOVES German food. OH! Take this as well." She shoved another container into his arms.

"What's this?"

"Donauwellen."

"Ah. She may like that."

"She'll eat it all, and like it. Now go, go! Go tend to your girl. She gets sicker as she waits for you. Go!"

* * *

Usagi lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. What was she going to do? How was she going to break it off with Damon? She would crush his heart. And that was the last thing she wanted to do. But she knew she had to do it. She couldn't marry someone if she didn't love them.

"Hey." Damon's voice came from the door way. He was carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming something and a plate of steaming something. Usagi suppressed a moan. Why was he here? She didn't want to do this right now. Especially when he was trying to make her get well.

She sat up so he could put the breakfast tray on her lap. She stared down at the mysterious food. Her brow came together, "Um, what's this."

He sat down beside her, "Compliments of my mother. Hasenpfeffer and Zwiebelkuchen."

She raised her eyebrow in confusion, "Translation?"

He smiled and chuckled, "Hasenpfeffer is rabbit stew. It has onions, celery, and rabbit. Among many spices and seasonings-----"

"Such as?"

He sighed in thought, "Oh, um, cinnamon, pickling spice, cloves, a bit of lemon, pepper, sugar, wine vinegar."

"Ah. And the other?"

"Zwiebelkuchen is onion pie. It has onions, bacon, sour cream, eggs, salt and caraway seed."

"What's Caraway seed?"

"You know other than it being an herb, I have no idea. But it's good. And just for the record I had nothing to do with this. It was all my mother's doing, so I won't be offended if you don't want it. But there is some cake in the kitchen that I know you'll like. It's called Donauwellen, basically a chocolate cake with cherries and vanilla pudding."

"No, I'll eat it. Just not now, I'm not really up to eating…. Even the cake. And it does sound good."

Damon removed the tray and placed it on the floor so it was out of the way.

"Listen," Usagi began, "I need to talk to you."

"Uh-oh. That can't be good."

"Mmmm."

"No, see. That's where you're supposed to reassure me that everything's fine and you just need help with homework or something like that."

"I don't need help with homework." They were silent for awhile, then finally Usagi burst out. "Everything's falling apart!" She began to bawl.

Damon put his arm around her and pulled her close, "What do you mean?"

"Just that. You know, I thought I knew who my friends were before I came here. I thought that all my friendships and relationship were secure and that I could trust the people in my life. But then Mamoru goes and fucks us over and since I've lived here not one of my friends have talked to me. I've received no phone calls, no email, no mail, no messages at all. Everyone who I thought were my friends aren't anymore and now I….. I….." She trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to tell him. She knew she had to, but she just froze.

Damon rubbed her back, "Shh...Usagi calm down and tell me what led to this." Sniffing, Usagi looked up at him and clung even harder to Damon after seeing the love in his eyes.

How could she do what she had planned to do to him? How could she break his heart like that?

"Nothing. I'm just having a bad day." She sighed.

Damon looked down into her eyes. He hated seeing her like this. He wished that there was something he could do, some sort of magical power he could have to take away all her hurt. But for now he had to settle with the only action he knew of. He tilted her chin up slightly and leaned down until their lips met.

Having his lips upon hers sent a surge of tingles through her body and her stomach. And in that moment she realized what an idiot she was. How could she have possibly thought that she never really loved this man in her arms.

* * *

AN: Well, there you have it. Thhe most recent chapter! hope you enjoyed. DOn't forget to review! 


	15. Part Fifteen

Usagi walked up to her locker at the clinic and began putting her purse and coat inside, when her boss walked over to her, "Usagi?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really pleased at how well you're doing here. You're picking up on things very quickly and even the grumpiest patients are happier when you're around. So I've decided to bump you up a few levels. I'd like for you to sit in with June today during a sessions with one of her new patients. They're fairly new so there's not much to learn about the history. Just sit in, watch, listen, and take notes. You don't have to do anything besides that. It's just to get you more familiar with how we operate around here. So when you're finished here go find June, she's excepting you."

Usagi was left staring into the distance not knowing whether to believe what she just heard. She'd only been there for three weeks and all ready they have her sitting on a case. She reached into her purse and dialled her cell phone. Damon should be on his study break right now, she hoped.

"What's up?" Damon answered his phone.

"Um…. I uh….. err…"

"Is everything okay, Hun?"

"Yeah, it's just…. Well, my boss just told me that she wants me to sit in on a session today. Not a detox. Just a regular counselling session, you know where the patient talks about how they got where they are and stuff."

"Usagi, you not forming proper sentences."

"Shut up! You know what I mean."

"I do. I'm just confused as to why you're panicking."

"Well, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet!"

"If your boss thinks you are, I'm pretty sure she's right. It'll be okay, you'll do great."

"Well, I'm not actually DOING anything. Just listening and taking notes. But still…."

"I wouldn't worry about it, just think of it as a cadaver, even if you mess up no one's life is at stake."

"Yeah, thanks for the analogy." With that she hung up, closed her locker and set off to find June.

* * *

Usagi walked into the private room behind June and sat down in the chair offered to her. She took out her notebook and pen and got herself ready to listen in on the session. Though when she looked up she got the shock of a life time; the session she was to sit in on, was Mamoru's. Could her life get any worse than it was now? She had tried so hard to get him out of her life and now he was weaselling his way back. Didn't he ever give up?

So now here she was having to listen to his damn sap story of why is life is so miserable and why he had turned to his addiction and why he was here in rehab and how he felt about all of it.

"Ok, Mamoru. I'm June I will be your councillor. So today what were going to do is; I want you tell me about yourself and why you do the things you do. I'm only hear to listen. I'm not judging you or thinking negatively about you. So why don't you go ahead and start."

Mamoru nodded. He felt it hard to talk about those things with Usagi in the room. He had given permission to have an intern sit in and listen but he hadn't realized it would be her. He almost regretted giving the go-ahead now. "Well," he took a deep breath, "I've been alone most of my life. My parents died when I was young and I have no brothers or sisters," June nodded and wrote something down on her pad of paper, "I grew up in an orphanage and when I turned 16 I was expected to move out and find my own place. After high school I went to college to study to become a doctor. In my second year of college I met a young girl who I found very intolerable. We were at each other's throats every time we saw each other. But as the year went on we became friends and soon she was my girlfriend," Usagi rolled her eyes, "We fell in love and were together for 5 years. But I found the pressures of school to be to great, and over heard some fellow students talking about how they eased the pressure. I was reluctant at first but then decided to give it a try. And I guess that's how and why I got here."

"That's the only reason?" Usagi couldn't help but ask.

"Usagi," June motioned for her to be quite.

"I'm sorry it just seems like he's leaving something out. How are we supposed to help him if we don't know the whole story."

June turned back to Mamoru, "Mmmm. She does make an excellent point."

Mamoru couldn't help but send a glare Usagi's way. What did she think she was doing?

"Well, ummm. One night I almost O.D'ed and my girlfriend came in and found me passed out on my bed. I woke up in the hospital. That's when she gave me two choices the drug or her. I think I hated her then. I mean, how could she make me make such a difficult decision. But with her help I almost got over it."

"Almost?" June inquired.

Mamoru nodded, "Yes. I had missed an exam when I was high or getting better, I can't remember which. My professor allowed me another chance to take it. I passed, but barely. My girlfriend (who never got a decent grade in her life, mind you) made a big deal about it and told me I could've done better."

"Do you think you could have?" June asked gently.

"If I wasn't in the condition I was in. I took the exam about a week after going cold turkey. I was detoxing. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't breathe properly. My hands were shaking. But I did pass it. Anyway, the pressure of her getting into my business like that and the pressure of every one expecting me to be prefect, made me want to get high one more time. So I did and of course she walked in on me using. She broke up with me right then and there. Ever since she walked out I got worse. My best friend tried helping me but it never worked. One day I read about this place and decided it would be good for me to come here."

"Why all the way over here?" Usagi asked, "Why not some place closer to home?"

"Well, my girlfriend had come here to get away for a bit," Mamoru swallowed, "I was hoping that she would see that I was serious this time and hoped to get her back."

"And do you think that's a good idea?" June asked, "You have to understand that she most likely feels inadequate and very hurt by your actions. It might not be enough to show her that you're seeking help. Once she sees that you've completed your stay here and have been sober for quite sometime, then maybe she would consider starting a relationship with you again."

"How long is 'quite sometime'?" Mamoru asked.

"A year or two. I know it seems like a long time but you have to ask yourself; _'Is she worth the wait?' _"

Mamoru nodded, "Yes, I think----- I know she is" He looked directly at Usagi when he said this. Usagi only rolled her eyes and looked down at her lap.

"Okay, well that's all we have time for today. Mamoru what I want you to do sometime today is write an essay about where you see yourself going if you stay high and where you'd like to see yourself going after your days here. And don't just write about getting your girlfriend back. Write about school, a job and your future and all that it entails."

* * *

Usagi stayed in the back for the rest of the day. She told her boss she wasn't feeling to well and that she would just like to organize files and get the group session hand-outs ready. She tried desperately to take her mind off what she liked to refer to as 'the longest half an hour of her life'. How would she tell Damon? She knew she couldn't keep Mamoru being here a secret. Besides, he may be able to give her some advice. But still, how would she tell him?

"Usagi?" Another intern softly got her attention, "Your boyfriend's here to pick you up."

Usagi smiled, "Okay. Thank you."

Usagi walked swiftly down the foyer never taking her eyes off of Damon, who was in a conversation with the receptionist. She couldn't wait to get home and just relax with Damon beside her. Suddenly someone stepped in her path, she looked up and came face to face to Mamoru.

"_Crap! Not now! Not here!" _She thought as she mentally shooed Mamoru away. To no avail.

"Listen," He said in Japanese, "I meant what I said in there."

"Which part? The part where you said you hate me?"

Mamoru sighed, "No, I mean about you being worth the wait."

"Well, you're going to be waiting a long time."

"Usagi don't say that. Look I know I messed up but I'm going to get better and I'll prove it to you."

"I told you, it's too late for that. After you get sober you best start looking for someone else because I won't be around."

"Usagi just think about it."

"I have." Both of them were so involved in conversation with each that neither noticed Damon walk up beside them.

"Well, please think some more. For our sake. I can't do this without you….."

"Excuse me," Damon interrupted. He didn't like the way this mystery man was looking at HIS fiancé. Usagi was almost mortified to see Damon standing there, but thankful at the same time for putting an end to this. Damon looked at Usagi, "You ready to go?"

Usagi looked to Mamoru and then back at Damon, "Yeah." She then started to walk away with Damon. After a few feet Damon stopped her and kissed her sweetly complaining that he hadn't gotten a kiss today. Usagi could feel Mamoru's eyes following them all the way outside. She couldn't bear to turn around and see the look of heart break on his face. It would've made her want to run over to him, hug him, tell him that she was sorry and that she would never leave him again…….. and she almost did.

* * *

AN: Well, there's part errrr... hell i don't even know what chapter this is. lol oh well, here it is! hope you enjoyed. 


	16. Part Sixteen

AN: Just to answer a question that many ppl have been asking me. No, Usagi is not Sailor Moon in this fic and the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen are just normal everyday ppl.

* * *

Usagi let out a low slow sigh as she hoisted herself up into Damon's pick-up and closed the door. She closed her eyes and tried to wish away the events that had happened moments before. It seemed as if she just couldn't get a break. As soon as things started to go good for her there was always something or someone there to stop it. Maybe she was just destined to be unhappy forever.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked as he rubbed her lap lovingly.

"Nothing. It was just a very trying day."

"So who was that guy you were talking to?"

"Hmmm? Oh, no one. Just a patient."

"Okay. So I guess we're going to play stupid, then huh?" Damon's voice wasn't angry or harsh; in fact he kept it rather calm.

Usagi furrowed her brow, "What do you mean?"

"Usagi please, don't play me for a fool. For almost a week now, You've been out of sorts. You've been very down and you always have that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The look you had when you were talking to that guy in there," Damon paused briefly, "the look that you always get when your ex is on your mind. I'm not an idiot, I know that was him. How long till you decided to tell me? Were you ever planning on telling me?" Damon's paranoia set in. He had been cheated on once, was it happening again. He wanted to trust Usagi, but it just seemed a little too suspicious for his liking.

"I don't know. I guess I thought that if I didn't tell you, I wouldn't have to face it myself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What? Do you think that I like him being here? Do you think that I told him to come? I went into the center one day and there he was. He thinks that by getting clean somewhere where I can witness it I'll get back together with him. It's almost like he won't take no for an answer. Like he doesn't want to admit what happened. Which is common among most addicts. But still……. I just don't know what to do. Before you showed up I was in the middle of telling to leave me alone and that my desion was final. I just don't know what else to do; I've done all I can."

"Not everything. Have you gone to the police?"

"On what grounds do I have to do that?"

"Usagi! The guy is harassing you. That's plenty enough to get a restraining order."

"But he hasn't done anything to hurt me physically, there's no point. And besides, even if he had what good would a piece of paper do?"

Damon leaned forward and started his truck, "You're right. But there's gotta be some way of getting him to stop." Damon paused to think. Finally, he turned his truck off and got out. He was heading instead the building. Usagi's heart leapt into her throat. What was he doing? He better not do anything drastic. Quickly Usagi climbed out of the truck and went after him.

* * *

Damon walked through the front doors and surveyed the area. He found Mamoru sitting in the lounge just of to the right.

"I need to talk to you." Damon said as he approached Mamoru, taking the chance that he understood English. Mamoru was going to an English speaking rehab, so he must.

Mamoru didn't get up from the chair in which he sat, he simply looked up at the man standing in front of him, "Do I know you?" Mamoru said confused.

"No. But I know you. And I'd really appreciate it if you left Usagi alone. Hasn't she made it clear enough that she wants nothing to do with you anymore? Stop Harassing her."

Mamoru stood now so he can be eye level to other man, "And who are you to be threatening me like this."

"I'm not threatening you in slightest. I'm just telling you to stay away from her. But to answer her question, I happen to be her fiancé." Damon took great pleasure in revealing that tid-bit of information. And took even greater pleasure in the reaction he got.

Mamoru widened his eyes for a split second and begin darting them around in disbelief, "Her fiancé?" Momaru's eyes focused on something beside Damon. Damon knew it was Usagi.

"Come on. Stop whatever it is your doing and let's just go home." Usagi said softly to Damon, so Mamoru couldn't hear her.

"So you're engaged now?" Mamoru asked her with no emotion in his voice at all. Then next thing he said he could have said it in Japanese, but chose not to for some reason unknown to all three of them, "So what? I guess you whore yourself out to which guy comes along?" Usagi didn't have time to react to Mamoru's hurtful words. The next thing she knew Damon had violently punched Mamoru in the face, Mamoru landed on the floor at Damon's feet.

"Damon!" Usagi's eyes flew wide open and she was down on her knees beside Mamoru looking at his bleeding face. She gently touched the corner of Mamoru's mouth where the blood was coming from, Mamoru winced at the pain. "Damon I think you should leave." She said simply.

"Usagi---"

"Just go, okay. Believe me you don't want to be around me right now." She looked up at him and if looks could kill, Damon would be dead 20 times over.

Damon let out an aggravated sigh and left reluctantly. Usagi helped Mamoru sit up, Mamoru looked at her, "Well, I guess I know where your loyalties lie."

"Oh shut up Mamoru! Yes he had no right to hit you, but you had no right to say that! It's not really something you want to say to someone you're trying to get back together with."

Mamoru perked up, "Are you saying that there's a chance for us?"

"Definitely not now! Just leave me alone and stop trying to contact me." With that Usagi got up and left the building.

* * *

It was a long walk home, but she frankly didn't care. Normally, she would hate to walk 30 minutes to get home. But now it wasn't too bad. She had no desire to talk to Damon right now or be anywhere near him for that matter. True Mamoru had no right to say that about her, but did Damon really have to react like that? This whole situation was just so frustrating. This is exactly why she didn't want Mamoru and Damon to know about each other. So was so angry with the both of them. Why did men think that it was impressive to fight over a girl? And why do they think that violence is the answer to everything. Usagi's eyes narrowed, great this is just what she needed right now. Damon's ex, Cassandra, was heading toward her. Why, oh why was this the day from hell? Could it possibly get any worse than this?

"Hey, skank." Cassandra greeted Usagi with an angry glare.

Usagi cocked an eyebrow, "Is that the best you can come up with? Well, we wouldn't want you to think too hard now would we? You might just hurt that pretty little head of yours."

Cassandra just stood there and glared at Usagi not knowing what to say.

"Why do you always show up at the most inopportune times?" Usagi demanded, "And why can't you people just leave me and Damon alone and let us be together in peace? Okay! Fine! You want him back you can have him! I don't care anymore!" Usagi ran off before Cassandra could see the tears in her eyes. She really didn't care anymore. She knew that she would always be plagued by Mamoru and Cassandra and she could never really be happy with Damon because of that. She knew that it just wouldn't be worth it.

* * *

AN: Well that's for this chapter. I know it's not very long but I wanted to get something up b/c it's been awhile since I last updated. So here you go! hope you enjoyed it!

And yes, Kawaii-CherryWolf I do just do this to string you along. lol :-p and you know you love it! Lol


	17. Part Seventeen

When Usagi got home she flopped herself face down onto her bed. She buried her face into her pillow and started to bawl. Coming here was a mistake. This whole situation was a mistake! She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. That seemed to be the only solution right about now. Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her back. She didn't look up to see who it was, she didn't care. It was comforting having it there and rubbing her back gently with genuine concern. She felt the person sit down beside her on the bed and a voice broke the silence, "I'm sorry." It was Damon. Usagi didn't know what she thought about him being there. She knew she should be angry at him, but she wasn't. She wasn't relieved that he was there either. She was numb; numb to him; numb to the situation.

"I just got so angry when he said that about you and before I knew what was happening he was on the ground." Damon let out a slow breath, "I know this situation is wearing on you and I didn't mean to add to it like that. I just hate the thought of losing you."

Usagi sighed and rolled over on her back, "What makes you think I'm going anywhere?"

"Just after what happened with Cassandra, I get a little paranoid sometimes. And I can't help but feel a little threatened by him."

Usagi furrowed her brow, "Why?"

"Well, you guys have a lot of history and I know you still love him. Plus he doesn't strike me as a guy who gives up easily."

"Same goes for your ex." Usagi said simply.

"Oh?"

"She stopped me on the way home. I didn't let her get a word in but I could tell what she wanted."

"Did you beat her up again?" Damon teased.

"That's not fair. I never hit her and almost knock her out." Usagi defended thinking Damon was trying to make a point about fighting each others exes.

"I know. It was still hot though." Damon grinned.

"You think so?" It was Usagi's turn to tease.

"Oh, of course." Damon leaned down and kissed Usagi softly, hardly let their lips touch. He knew it drove her crazy when he did this. He pulled away only to do it once more, before making the kiss a little more passionate. Usagi reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Right now she didn't care about anything. Right now her world was her and Damon. Nothing else mattered. Damon shifted her so she was in the middle of the bed and he had room to put his bottom half on the bed. He let his left hand play with her hair before he slid it down her side and rested it on her naked waist. She moved both her hands up and let her fingers entwine themselves in his hair. She decided to bring the kiss to a more passionate one, and let her tongue play with his. She could feel him getting hard against her leg. She manoeuvred her leg so it was between his and gently rubbed her knee against his crotch, causing him to let a moan of pleasure escape his mouth. She let on of hands find her way down to that sensitive spot of his and caressed it through his jeans. He pulled away from the kiss and sucked in air through his teeth, "I thought I told you to be careful with that." He said breathlessly.

Usagi smiled, "You did."

"You. Are evil." Damon grinned and went in for another kiss. He left her mouth and started to pay more attention to the crook of her neck and ear lobes, occasionally letting his hot breath out into her ear. She revelled in it. It had been such a long time since they were able to be intimate like this. The last time Damon stopped most of the activity because he said he was afraid he'd hurt her. But since then he had taken to her the local sex shop to pick out some lubricant. He had bought two bottles, one for her place and one for his. "Because you never know where will be when the time comes." He had teased with a mischievous grin.

She reached down and tugged and the hem of his shirt. She wanted it off; she wanted to feel his warm smooth flesh again. Damon took the hint and finished the job she had started. When he had returned to her he was pleasantly surprised to see that she also had taken her top of along with her bra. She stared at her prefect breasts, god how he loved them. He returned to placing tiny kisses long the crook of her neck and slowly made his way down to her upper chest, to her breasts and finally to her nipples. She let out a sigh and smoothed her hands over Damon's back. Suddenly Damon playfully and gently bit the underneath of her breast. Usagi gasped and wasn't able to help digging her fingernails hard into Damon's back. Damon let out a harsh grunt.

"Sorry," Usagi apologized, "You okay?"

"Better then ever." Damon chuckled, "Actually really like it when a girl does that."

"Oh Really?" Usagi smiled and gently raked her nails across his back.

Damon nodded and went in for another kiss but stopped just before their lips met, "But if you're going to do it, you have to make it hurt." He moved in the rest of the way and passionately kissed her. He playfully bit her bottom lip and lightly licked it immediately after. Usagi gasped and violently raked her nails across his back. Damon grunted and shuddered at the delightful pain his was in. But it was all wrong. He didn't want their first time to be like this, especially knowing that it was her first time ever. He wanted their love making to be slow, sweet and passionate. Not Violent and rough, though he much preferred the latter. He had to think of her in this particular case. He had to slow it down. He reached behind him and placed her hands beside her head and softly caressed them with his fingertips. Usagi turned her head out of the kiss, "I thought you said you liked that."

Damon looked lovingly into her eyes, "I do. But I don't want your first time to be so," He paused thinking of a proper word to use, "Violent." He moved in for a soft, passionate kiss before she could say anything more on the subject. He began to place gently kisses all over her as he moved down her torso and his hands found the zipper to her jeans. He undid them and slowly removed the jeans and then her underwear. Once again pleased to see bare skin. God, she was beautiful, how he wanted her. He moved her to the edge of the bed as he had before and knelt on the floor. He softly brushed her area lightly with his fingers and then inserted a finger gently and then inserted one more. She let a moan leave her lips and grasped the sides of the pillow her head rested on. God, she was so small. He wondered how he was going to pull this off; even with the lube it was going to be very difficult.

He let his fingers slide in and out of her with his thumb of the same hand played with her clit. With his other hand he reached into her nightstand and retrieved the lube. He placed the product on the bed and repositioned her back to the middle of the bed. He lay beside her and immediately she reached for his jeans and began the undo them. With his help she removed them and placed them on the floor. At this point she began to feel especially nervous. Now the only that stood between her and him was a pair of boxers. Her hands started to shake slightly when she reached for the waist of the boxers. Damon saw this and lovingly placed his hands on hers, "We don't have to, if you're not ready."

Usagi swallowed, "No. I am. I'm just a little nervous, is all."

Damon kissed her softly, "Okay, but if at anytime you want to stop, just say so. You're running the show okay?" Usagi nodded. Damon moved in for another quick kiss before he removed his boxers. Usagi's eyes widened, suddenly she knew what Becky meant by 'assets'. How in the world was he going to fit _that_ inside her? Damon noticed her expression and asked if she was alright.

Usagi licked her lips, "I well…. Is it supposed to be that big?"

Damon chuckled, "well, I'm a little bigger than average."

"Just how big is it?" Usagi had no idea why she asked that question, how could he possibly know?

"Nine and a half inches."

"Do I want to know how you know that?"

Damon laughed, "It's a young teenage boy thing. Every guy measures it at least once in their life." Damon, sensing that this conversation was going no where (and really inconvenient for the situation at hand) he kissed Usagi passionately and played with her tongue with his. Usagi rolled over so that Damon was now on his back and she began to kiss him all over his torso like he had done to her. Remembering that his nipples were sensitive she let her tongue linger at each one. She took pleasure in hearing little moans and groans erupt from him. She wanted to go farther down and caress him like he had done for her., but she was too shy and not sure how to do it. Damon, instinctively knowing that she was too shy to go any lower, lifted her body back up and kissed her while turning back over. He reached for the lube, opened the bottle and poured a generous amount on her vagina. Usagi gasped at the cold sensation. Damon then rubbed it around and lightly blew on it to activate the warming sensation. He then let his mouth linger there and let his tongue do indescribable things to her as he lubed himself up. He stopped and reapplied a little more lube to her and looked up at her, "You're 100 sure about this?" She nodded. He could tell though that she was still really nervous and tense, "Okay. What I want you to do is relax, alright? Don't tense up, just relax your muscles." She nodded and tried to do as he instructed. He then began to slowly guide himself into her. He felt her tense up and heard a whimper escape from her. He stopped, "We can stop if you want."

Usagi shook her head, "No. I want this." She did, even though the pain was unbearable at the moment she knew it would get better.

"Okay, just try to relax. I know it hard, but try." Damon felt her relax a little bit and began to push into her some more. He would have revelled in the feeling of her around him like this, but he couldn't get past the obvious pain she was in. Finally, he was all the way in. He looked down at her and saw a tear stream down her cheek. He felt like shit. He wiped at the tear, "Usagi are you sure about this?"

Usagi took a deep breath in, "Yeah, I'm sure. I mean the way I see it is that, it's going to hurt no matter what, whether we do it now, or on your honeymoon. I just…… Just stay still for a minute." She had a point, so he did as she asked: He didn't move save to plant reassuring kisses on her face and neck. Several minutes had past, and decided to take a chance and slowly began to move within her. She gasped and tightened her grip on his back; he knew it was out of pain. He kissed her forehead gently and told her softly that it will start to feel good very soon. He began to nibble and suck on her earlobe to add some pleasurable sensation to the situation for her. It was working. Instantly Usagi's mind was taken away from the pain she was feeling down below and concentrated on the sinful thing her was doing to her ear and neck. Soon all pain was abolished and everything started feeling good. Damon could tell this by the way her breathing drastically changed. He took a chance and began to move a little faster within her. She gasped and moaned, this time he knew it was from pleasure and took his thrusting slightly to the next level. She dug her nails slightly into his back, it took a lot for him not to react to this and begin moving even faster. God, she felt so good, just as he imagined her to feel perhaps even better.

Usagi sighed his name. It was a question he knew. She was trying to get his attention. It took every fibre of his being to make himself cease all action. He looked down at her, "Yeah?" He panted.

"I want to do it they way you want."

Damon cocked an eyebrow, "Are you sure?" He wasn't sure himself, could she handle it? She nodded. "Alright." He quickly decided that he was going to compromise. He wasn't going to go so rough on her so that she became scared or uncomfortable, but rough enough to satisfy his fetish. He pulled himself out of her and instructed her to get on her hands and knees, "If at anytime you wanted me to stop just say so okay?" Usagi agreed. Damon got behind her and told her to put the top half of her body down as low as she could and to get comfortable because he was going hold her hands behind her back. She as she was told. Damon slipped himself inside her again (this time with a lot more ease), took a hold her hands behind her back and began to pump much faster and a little harder than he was before. Pleasurable moans erupted from the both of them. She had no idea why this position felt so different from the previous one, but it seemed he was hitting a very sensitive spot inside her. It felt so good to her it was almost unbearable. And she wanted it to be unbearable, so she told him to go harder. Damon, who surprised at the request but wasn't going to argue, did as he was asked. He held on to her hands with only on hand now, so the other one was free to roam. He leaned forward and played with her breasts for a bit before he moved over to her ass. He grabbed and squeezed it. He also spanked it, not too hard, but enough to get a raise out of her. With a bit of sweat on his forehead he began to feel that oh so familiar sensation. He let go of her hands and grabbed on to her waist as they both reached their climax together. Damon buckled forward at the waist and put his weight onto his arms on the bed. Usagi remained underneath him, still on her hands and knees, and both were breathing like it was going out of style. Finally, when Damon felt some of his strength return to him he pulled himself out and flopped down on his back. Usagi laid down beside him and rested her head on his chest, and they fell asleep in each other embrace.

* * *

sagi and Damon were awakened the next morning by a knocking on the door. Usagi propped her head up and looked at the time; 11:23am. Her eyes widened.

"Shit! What day is it?"

Damon looked at her confused as the knocking continued, "Saturday, why?"

"Shit!" Usagi flew out of bed and began to get dressed.

"Usagi, calm down. What wrong?"

Usagi let out a nervous laugh, "Did I forget to tell you that my parents were coming over? And that's probably them at the door?"

Damon's eyes widened, "WHAT!"

* * *

An: Well, there chapter 17, updated ASAP as requested. And yes, I know. I'm evil :-D

Hope you enjoyed


	18. update

Unfortunately this is not an update. :-p sorry. I'm just posting to let you guys know that I've created a forum so I can tell you what's happening with my fics. The address is here: http/ just basically to let you know what's going on and how things are coming and what's stopping me from updating and the like. So Subscribe okay:-p


	19. Part Eighteen

Usagi and Damon were awakened the next morning by a knocking on the door. Usagi propped her head up and looked at the time; 11:23am. Her eyes widened.

"Shit! What day is it?"

Damon looked at her confused as the knocking continued, "Saturday, why?"

"Shit!" Usagi flew out of bed and began to get dressed.

"Usagi, calm down. What wrong?"

Usagi let out a nervous laugh, "Did I forget to tell you that my parents were coming over? And that's probably them at the door?"

Damon's eyes widened, "WHAT!"

"Get out of bed and get dressed," Usagi almost demanded.

Damon did just that, "You know this really isn't the best way to meet the parents."

Usagi finished brushing her hair and began making the bed, "I know. I just totally forgot about it, because of everything that was happening." The knocking had stopped but the phone began to ring. Usagi quickly snatched it up, "Hello? Oh hi Papa," She converted to Japanese, "No, I'm at home," She began taking her textbooks out of her bag and sprawled them over her bed, opening a couple to where she had left off in class, "Oh, I didn't hear you knock. No I was in my room studying. Yeah, okay. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, placed her laptop on the bed and turned it on. "That was my dad, and yes they are here." She grabbed up her clothes from yesterday and quickly threw them into the laundry basket.

"What an awesome first impression I'm going to make: 'Hi sir nice to meet you. What's that? Why yes I did sleep with your daughter last night.' This should be fun."

"He doesn't have to know about that. Look just go into the washroom and finish getting ready, so it'll look like you you're just coming out when they get in here. And a few things before you go," Usagi stopped Damon as he headed for the washroom, "My dad is fluent in English, my brother knows enough to get by and my mom knows very little. My mom will like you right off the bat because she loves everyone. Shingo will most likely know what's going on between us but won't say anything and my dad….. well."

"Well what?"

"He may be harder to convince. The first time he met Mamoru he chased him down the street."

"Fabulous. This just keeps on getting better doesn't it?"

"You have no idea yet. Just you wait and see." The knocking began again at the door, "Okay go."

Damon hurried into the washroom and Usagi quickly opened a term paper she was working on, on her laptop before heading for the front door and letting her parents in.

She smoothed down her hair and shirt one more time before opening the door.

Her father cocked an eyebrow at her, "What took you so long?"

Usagi smile sweetly, "Sorry, I just wanted to finish my thought on my paper before I lost it."

Her father cocked his eyebrow again, "So you were actually studying? You? Doing school work?"

Usagi laughed, "Oh daddy. I'm not anything like I was in high school anymore."

"Mmmm. So Are you going to invite us in or are we just going to continue our conversation in the door way?"

"Oh," Usagi stepped aside, "Yes, come in."

They stepped inside and took of their shoes and then began to look around while staying in the same spot.

"Want a grand tour?" Usagi joked.

"Oh, yes. That would be lovely." Her mother answered for all three of them.

"Well, to your left you'll see the kitchen, straight a head is the living room. Off to the left there is Becky's (my roommate's) room and don't the hall to the right here," Usagi began leading them down the short hallway, "Here is our humble storage room," Usagi opened a door to the right, inside where boxes and the like, "Over here to the left and up a little is my room," She walked them inside.

Her father looked at the open laptop and book stroon over her bed, "Well, I guess you were studying after all." He teased.

"And over there at the end of the hall is the washroom. I'd show you inside but a friend of mine is in there right now."

Usagi's father furrowed his brow, "A friend? You didn't say that there was someone else in here."

"Well, he came over to help me study." Usagi offered.

Her father's eyes widened, "He?"

Suddenly they heard the toilet flush and heard the door open. A few seconds later Damon appeared in the door way of her bedroom.

"This is my friend Damon," Usagi introduced them. "Damon, this is my father, Mother and brother Shingo."

Damon nodded a hello, "Ummm… I gotta get going. I'm due at work soon."

"Oh," Usagi was a little disappointed. She hoped he wasn't mad at her for introducing him as her friend and was leaving as a result of it. "Ummm… okay. I'll call you later."

"Okay." Damon waved his good-bye, "It was nice meeting you. And I'll talk to you later Usagi." With that he left.

Damon thought it best to leave without kissing her goodbye. God only knows what they were all thinking when a strange man emerged from her bathroom. Plus, he got hint that she didn't think it was the best idea when he introduced him as her friend, instead of her fiancé. Shit! What a great way to meet her parents for the first time. He racked his brain all the way to the parking lot for a way to make a better impression the next time they saw each other. If there was a next time, he could only imagine what must be happening upstairs in Usagi's apartment right now.

Usagi and her mother were in the kitchen making tea while her father and Shingo sat in the Living room; Shingo watching TV trying to understand the English dialogue, and Kenji reading the paper.

"So?" Ikuko began while Usagi got the tea pot and cups down from the cupboard, "How's school going?"

"Good." Usagi responded.

"And the internship you got? How's that?"

Usagi paused, trying to think of a way to avoid explaining the Mamoru problem, "It's draining. Just seeing the people that are staying there. Most of the people aren't even there because they want to be. Usually they've been order by a judge; it's either rehab or jail. So they pick the lesser of the two. And then you have to try and help the people don't want it. It's just exhausting sometimes."

Ikuko rubbed Usagi's back, "I'm sure it is. But at least you have a cute boyfriend to come home to."

Usagi shook her head, "Oh. We're not living together yet. Though Damon does want to live together by the end of the summ…………." Usagi trailed off realizing the trap that she walked into. She stared blankly at her mother. Ikuko was grinning from ear to ear.

"How did you……."

"Mother's just know these things. Is good to you?" Ikuko suddenly got serious.

Usagi smiled, "Very. He's like this character from a fairy tale. You know the kind of guy that no one believes truly exists? Well, he does and he's mine."

The two women laughed at the last comment.

"Well, good cause I'd hate to see you have to go through what you went through with Mamoru again. Besides," Ikuko said after a slight pause, "your kids would probably be cuter with Damon as the father. For some reason, every time I thought about children for you and Mamoru I see pink hair."

Usagi didn't have time to respond before Kenji called out from the living room asking what was taking them so long.

Ikuko sighed and lifted the tray, "Oh! Mama? Don't tell Papa yet okay?"

Ikuko smiled warmly, "You'll tell him when you feel its right."

"Thank you." Usagi smiled warmly before they headed into the living room with the tea.

As Damon approached his truck he looked up to find Cassandra standing beside it waiting for him. Damon rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh, "What are you doing?"

Cassandra smiled slightly, "Waiting for you. I was walking past and saw your truck, so I thought I'd wait for you."

"Well don't." Damon said casually as he began to move to the driver's side of his truck.

Cassandra stopped him, "Damon wait. Please." She said gently, "Just hear me out and then you can sever all contact if you like."

"Alright I'm listening." He said hastily.

"No, Not here. Can we go somewhere else? Maybe get some coffee?"

Damon looked at her for a brief moment. He sighed slowly, "Alright. Get in." He motioned with a quick jerk of his head to the truck. Something had changed about her. He could tell that she was no longer trying to get back with him. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Damon pulled into the parking lot of a coffee shop that was located two blocks away from Usagi's apartment. "Do you want to sit inside or out?" Damon asked as the headed towards the entrance.

"Probably out. You'll probably want a cigarette with your coffee."

Damon shock his head as he held the door open for Cassandra to walk through, "I quit."

Cassandra shot Damon and look of disbelief as she took her place in line, "You quit? When? Why?"

"A couple months ago, because Usagi asked me to."

"Oh." Cassandra looked up at the menu even though she already knew what she was getting. Damon grinned on the inside he loved seeing how jealous she got.

"So?" Damon said after they sat down across from each other. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Cassandra took a deep breath in. She hadn't expected Damon to cut right to the chase like that. "I really don't know where to begin."

"Pick a spot." Damon said coldly before taking a drink of his coffee.

"Why are being like this?" Cassandra asked.

"You know the way I am. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Unfortunately for you, you chose the latter."

"Yes. Well, can we forget about that for now? Because I really need to get this out."

Damon gestured with his hand, "Go on."

Cassandra drew in a breath, "People have always seen me as the jealous ex girlfriend who wants her boyfriend back because of his---- well, for obvious reasons. And the truth is, even though I do miss that greatly that's not the reason why I want---- wanted you back so badly. I know I hurt you really badly and I just wanted another chance to make it up to you. I know I fucked up and I can sit here and tell you that I couldn't help it or I couldn't stop myself, but----"

"It wouldn't be the truth?" Damon cocked an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't believe me and there's no point telling you anyway. The reason I wanted another chance to make it up to you, was because I saw how crushed you were every time you looked at me. And I wanted to be the one to make that feeling go away for you. To let you know how truly sorry I was and how much I really loved you."

"Cassandra, do you really expect me to believe that? You never once told me that you loved me. I told you everyday, but I never received a response."

"I know. I'm sorry. I was just afraid. It was the first I fell in love with anyone, I didn't know what to make of it. Look I just came here to tell you that I'm happy for you and I'm glad that you found someone to spend the rest of your life with. Even it isn't me." Cassandra fought back the tears that were about to overflow, "Excuse me." She said barely above a whisper and left.

Damon sighed and ran after her, "Cassandra wait." He said as he walked out the doors and on the parking lot. He had misjudged her, she really was trying to 'just talk' to him and nothing more. He gently took a hold of her arm and turned her around when he finally caught up with her. She was crying now, though she didn't look up from the ground, Damon could tell.

"Look," He began gently, "I appreciate you telling me this. But I'm not going to leave Usagi for you."

"That's not why I told you what I did!" Cassandra practically shouted, "I don't want you to leave her. I want you to stay with her and continue being happy. I just wanted to clear the air with us. I wanted to know that when I saw you on the street I can say 'hello' and not have to worry about seeing that pained look in your eye or watch you try to ignore me. I just wanted us to be on friendly terms."

Damon pulled her into his arms and hugged her, "I'm sorry I thought differently, but can you blame me? And if it makes you feel any better I do still love you."

Cassandra sniffed, "You do?"

"Yes. And I'll never stop. But I'm with Usagi now and I love her more than life, I mean we're getting married for christ's sake. But that doesn't mean that I don't have room in my heart to still love you and remember all the good times we had." Damon stepped back and held Cassandra at arms length, "Hmmmm? Can you look at me?" Cassandra wiped her eyes and looked up at Damon, "You were a big part of my life and I'll never forget the time we spent together." He wiped a tear away with his thumb, "Now can I get a smile?" Cassandra forced a smiled, but it quickly turned into a really smile when she saw Damon smiling. That was one thing about him; she could never stay upset with him, "That's a girl." Damon now lend in for a quick friendly kiss.

Well, there you have it. I know it took me forever to update, but I'm just been so busy lately. And just so you guys know, I've created a forum to keep you guys posted as to how my fics are coming along. Here's the addy: http/ 


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